Banca de DEFESA: EDUARDO DE FREITAS MIRANDA

Psychosocial Aspects of Political Positioning and its Relationship with Practices and Decision Making in Everyday Life: Discussing Values and Social Representations from the Brazilian and Spanish Realities

Political Positioning, Social Representations, Social Values

The exercise of politics is something of everyday life and implies taking a position in the face of situations that arise in a country as diverse and multifaceted as Brazil. The country has experienced several political and social changes in recent decades: with the arrival of PT governments, Dilma Rousseff's impeachment, Michel Temer's presidency, and the election of Jair Bolsonaro. We have witnessed a shift in political positions within the social fabric and a rise in political stances that were considered a serious breach of social norms just a few decades ago. In Brazil, there is a growing idea of a conservative and right-wing political stance - based on the values of tradition and hierarchy - in opposition to the values advocated by a progressive and left-wing position that primarily defends the ideas of emancipation and equality. On the other hand, progressives also incorporate ideological conceptions that end up influencing their followers, often with agendas similar to those of conservatives but with diametrically opposed directions. This intensification of political and ideological positions, combined with the (mis)information spread on social media, has created a scenario where we strive to promote a greater understanding of the psychosocial processes involved. Drawing on the Theory of Social Representations and Serge Moscovici's Theory of Active Minorities, together with Jean-Claude Abric's Theory of Central Core, we sought to analyze and compare social representations of "politics" based on the participants' political positioning. This qualitative and quantitative research interviewed 305 people and used three instruments: an evocation task based on the term "politics," a sociodemographic questionnaire, and a questionnaire with open and closed questions about adherence to Brazilian daily life issues, as well as their adherence to thinking about political leadership. The data was processed using the Iramuteq software, which is developed based on the R software. Additionally, a focus group was conducted with individuals of different political positions, addressing some of the main topics addressed by political groups. The content analysis of the transcribed audio recordings from the focus group was conducted using Laurence Bardin's method. The results obtained from the evocation task point to a possible central core of social representations of politics in both left and right groups, based on the concept of corruption. The possible central core, based on the concept of corruption, indicates the consistency of concern for the integrity of political processes and their vicissitudes. The attribution of the cause of corruption is inversely proportional in each group: the left group attributes corruption to the so-called right-wing group and vice versa. The results of the questionnaire indicate a diversity of justifications for the choice of a political leader, which often dissociates from the individuals' own concept of the characteristics a political leader should have. Furthermore, the results of the focus group corroborate with the other data obtained. This research aims to contribute to a better understanding of the psychosocial factors involved in the political groups' positions on issues relevant to society and to contribute to the understanding of influence processes within social groups.