Health and illness: a contribution to the research in the field of social representations

Abstract

The aim of this research is the study of the social representations of Health and Illness through the analysis of its components: information, representation field and attitude. The research includes two different phases where both samples and instruments of analysis are different. In the first phase of the research we chose a qualitative method in order to obtain a "deep analysis" of the two concepts of health and illness. We selected a "mixed technique performance/language", with the purpose of attributing a relative value to the language role. Collected data were processed by content analysis. A quantitative method was utilized in the second phase of the research to integrate the data obtained from the first phase. We chose the method created by Guy Le Bouedec (1979); it allows reconstruction of the plot of social representations of health and illness and their comparison. Collected data were processed by correspondence analysis.