In the field of the central core theory of social representations, research which has focused on the normative aspects is relatively recent as it dates back little more than ten years. The theory of conditionality which developed from research into the periphery of representation results from this. It is a particularly fruitful theory to explain “normative latitudes” and the behaviour accruing to them. One of the particularities of these works stresses the importance of linking the normative aspects with specific methods and/or analyses. In this paper, we will illustrate it via a specific tool developed in the field of traffic psychology: the Conditional Script Questionnaire (CSQ). This approach makes it possible to highlight the interactions between two systems of norms: the legal system and the social system. The implication of norms is fundamental in different processes already studied such as social influence or identity processes, and this article can be considered as an illustration of the place of norms in the field of social thinking.
Even if it is linked to the idea of giving, volunteer work constitutes an important productive resource but it also has a number of interests which are rarely examined in their concomitant actions. The aim of this study is to investigate social representation of disability and brain lesion and to check the impact of commitment to voluntary work on this representation. Firstly a group of 30 retired people interested in voluntary work who had no experience of brain damaged people, filled out a characterization questionnaire. Secondly after a period of voluntary work, a sample of 8 of these retired people redid the questionnaire. The results show an evolution with experience alongside this population. A few months later the volunteers filled out another questionnaire on the impact of volunteer work. The findings show they think that experience of volunteer work can change the way people see disability and that it has beneficial effects on their well-being.
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