Abstract

BERRI, Bruna; DA SILVA BOUSFIELD, Andréa Barbará; DA SILVA, Jean Paulo  and  GIACOMOZZI, Andréia Isabel. Social representations of the body for people with physical disabilities. Cienc. Psicol. [online]. 2020, vol.14, n.2, e2322.  Epub Sep 18, 2020. ISSN 1688-4094.  https://doi.org/10.22235/cp.v14i2.2322.

The body is essential in forming impressions on someone. When thinking about people with physical disabilities, the body becomes the main marker of difference. In the theoretical foundation of this research, the Theory of Social Representations was used. The objective was to characterize the social representations of the body for 12 men and 12 women with acquired physical disabilities. Semi-structured interviews and a sociodemographic questionnaire were used as instruments. The data were analyzed through Descending Hierarchical Classification and descriptive analysis. The social representations of the body presented two structural axes: health and aesthetics. No significant differences were found in the social representations of the body of men and women. However, some experiential elements were distinct, evidencing maintenance of behavior related to gender roles. It is pertinent to create public spaces that are attentive to the corporal diversity and strategies that stimulate the social and political participation of people with disabilities.

Keywords : social representation; body; physical disability; people with disabilities.

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