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Social representations of the individual: a post-Communist perspective

1998; Wiley; Volume: 28; Issue: 5 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1002/(sici)1099-0992(199809/10)28

1099-0992

Ivana Marková, Eleanor Moodie, Robert M. Farr, Ewa Drozda‐Senkowska, Ferenc Erős, Jana Plichtová, Marie‐Claude Gervais, Jana Hoffmannová, Olga Müllerová,

Sociopolitical Dynamics in Russia

European Journal of Social PsychologyVolume 28, Issue 5 p. 797-829 Research Article Social representations of the individual: a post-Communist perspective Ivana Marková, Corresponding Author Ivana Marková University of Stirling, ScotlandDepartment of Psychology, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, UK.Search for more papers by this authorEleanor Moodie, Eleanor Moodie University of Stirling, ScotlandSearch for more papers by this authorRobert M. Farr, Robert M. Farr The London School of Economics and Political Science, UKSearch for more papers by this authorEwa Drozda-Senkowska, Ewa Drozda-Senkowska Université Paris X, FranceSearch for more papers by this authorFerenc Erös, Ferenc Erös Hungarian Academy of Sciences, HungarySearch for more papers by this authorJana Plichtová, Jana Plichtová Slovak Academy of Sciences, SlovakiaSearch for more papers by this authorMarie-Claude Gervais, Marie-Claude Gervais The London School of Economics and Political Science, UKSearch for more papers by this authorJana Hoffmannová, Jana Hoffmannová The Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences, Czech RepublicSearch for more papers by this authorOlga Mullerová, Olga Mullerová The Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences, Czech RepublicSearch for more papers by this author Ivana Marková, Corresponding Author Ivana Marková University of Stirling, ScotlandDepartment of Psychology, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, UK.Search for more papers by this authorEleanor Moodie, Eleanor Moodie University of Stirling, ScotlandSearch for more papers by this authorRobert M. Farr, Robert M. Farr The London School of Economics and Political Science, UKSearch for more papers by this authorEwa Drozda-Senkowska, Ewa Drozda-Senkowska Université Paris X, FranceSearch for more papers by this authorFerenc Erös, Ferenc Erös Hungarian Academy of Sciences, HungarySearch for more papers by this authorJana Plichtová, Jana Plichtová Slovak Academy of Sciences, SlovakiaSearch for more papers by this authorMarie-Claude Gervais, Marie-Claude Gervais The London School of Economics and Political Science, UKSearch for more papers by this authorJana Hoffmannová, Jana Hoffmannová The Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences, Czech RepublicSearch for more papers by this authorOlga Mullerová, Olga Mullerová The Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences, Czech RepublicSearch for more papers by this author First published: 21 December 1998 https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1099-0992(199809/10)28:5 3.0.CO;2-6Citations: 34AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onEmailFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Abstract Social representations of the individual are examined in three post-Communist Central European nations, i.e. the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary, and in three West European nations, i.e. Scotland, England and France. All six nations share a common European history since the Renaissance and Humanism, based on such values as freedom, agency, individual rights and individual responsibility. Many of these values were rejected by the Communist regimes in which people lived for 40 years. Extreme forms of individualism developed in certain West European nations during the same period. In view of these historical events we have asked the following questions: Do people in the post-Communist countries of Central Europe, after 40 years of totalitarian collectivism, still adhere to the values of the common European heritage? What is the meaning of ‘the individual’ today, in Western democracies and in Central European post-Communist nations? Which issues are important for the well-being of the individual and how do they relate to the political and economic circumstances of those individuals? The results show that the values of the common European heritage in Central Europe have not been destroyed and that factors relating to the well-being of the individual differ between the two parts of Europe. These data are discussed in terms of the political and economic situations in Central and Western Europe, the relationship between language and social representations and the structure of social representations. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. References Abric, J. C. (1993). Central system, peripheral system: their functions and roles in the dynamics of social representations. Papers on Social Representations, 2, 75–78. Bendix, R. (1966). Max Weber: an intellectual portrait. London: Methuen. Burke, E. (1790). 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