Représentations sociales de la santé et de la maladie chez les jeunes Russes: “force” versus “faiblesse”

Abstract

This study is based on the theory of social representations (Moscovici, 1961, 2001). We have followed the ideas of the structural approach proposed by Abric (1993, 2001, 2003). By using the technique of identification and analyse of the representation structure (Vergès, 1992), we have described the central systems of the representations of health and illness as well as the peripheral ones of these representations among young Russians (n=162, aged from 18 to 30 years old). The opposition force-weakness is central for the representations of health and illness. The obtained results allowed us to discuss the specificity of the social representations of health and illness in the Russian culture.