Abstract

RESTREPO-OCHOA, Diego Alveiro. Grounded Theory as a methodology for the integration of structural and processual analysis in the investigation of Social Representations. CES Psicol [online]. 2013, vol.6, n.1, pp.122-133. ISSN 2011-3080.

The development of the Social Representations Theory in the last 40 years in the field of social sciences, has led to different types of appropriation of the Theory, outstanding among them, the processual approach, focusing on the content of the Social Representations in terms of its meaning and significance; and the structural approach interested in organizing mechanisms of organization of such contents. In view of the previous position, a disjunction between both approaches was presented, not only expressed in terms of theory but also in methodology, in such a way that some researches are focused in processual aspects of Social Representations, while others are primarily in charge of the structure and the rank of the Representations and their central and peripheral character. This paper aims to discuss the possibilities of methodological articulation between the processual and the structural approach of Social Representations, through the use of methodological procedures of the Grounded Theory. It is argued that during the development of the research, the Grounded Theory allows articulating the identification of the content of Representation, the relation among its elements as well as the determination and control of the core, emphasizing the relationship between structure and process.

Keywords : Social Representations Theory; Grounded Theory.

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