Representações Sociais e Julgamentos Morais de Estudantes Universitários sobre Linchamentos

Abstract

RESUMO -O objetivo do presente estudo foi investigar a relação entre as representações sociais e o julgamento moral acerca do linchamento e identificar as atitudes de estudantes de Psicologia e de Ciências Exatas sobre esta prática. Trata-se de uma pesquisa de caráter descritivo e exploratório, realizada com 122 participantes que responderam a um questionário semiestruturado e justificaram suas atitudes diante de um dilema moral. A análise envolveu a análise de conteúdo temática, a estatística descritiva e testes de associação entre variáveis. Os resultados indicaram diferentes formas de representar o linchamento, associadas aos princípios de cada nível de desenvolvimento moral utilizado pelos participantes. De um modo geral, os grupos pesquisados demonstraram uma atitude desfavorável à prática do linchamento, sendo que, entre os favoráveis, predominaram os estudantes de Ciências Exatas.ABSTRACT -This study aimed to investigate the relationship between social representation and moral judgment on lynching and to identify the position of studentes of Psychology and Exact Sciences on the act. This was a descriptive and explanatory research study, conducted with 122 participants who answered a semistructured questionnaire and justified their attitude towards a moral dilemma. The analysis was done using thematic content analysis, descriptive statistics and tests of association among variables. The results indicated different ways of representing the act of lynching, associated with the principles of each moral development level used by the participants. In general, the studied groups showed a negative view of the practice of lynching, with the favorable ones being predominantly students of Exact Sciences.

Construction and Validation of the Scale of Attitudes Towards Lynching

“…In this sense, although the phenomenon of virtual lynching is recognized as a variation of what can be understood as lynching, delimited to exposure and public humiliation in social networks (Mercuri & Lima-Lopes, 2020), we chose to work with lynching that occurs in the sphere of "real" everyday life, based on physical aggression. Lynching expresses the existence of an extralegal means of doing justice, materialized in the popular "taking the law into one's own hands" (Alexandre, Galvão, & Scardua, 2019;Martins, 2015;Sinhoretto, 2002;Soto, 2016;Zizumbo-Colunga & Fuerte-Celis, 2020).…”

“…In this context, journalistic reports are one of the main documentary sources that allow investigators to classify it as a lynching case, bringing a greater wealth of details about the crime. Therefore, there are several indications of underreporting of lynching cases in Brazil (Alexandre et al, 2019;Martins, 2015;Soto, 2016).…”

“…However, the estimate is alarming and reveals a kind of extra-official system of promoting justice, having its own rituals, where there is no proportionality between the crime committed and the punishments administered, since in "popular justice" everyone can pay with his or her life, regardless of the crime the victim is being accused of. Concerning this ritualistic dimension, the relevant literature has registered a true horror show, in which the lynching mob, besides capturing the victims and beating them, administers additional "protocols" of violence such as eye gouging, castration, shooting, lacerating, quartering, even going so far as incinerating the body, even while the victim is still alive (Alexandre et al, 2019;Cerqueira & Noronha, 2004;Martins, 2015;Sinhoretto, 2002Sinhoretto, , 2009Soto, 2016).…”

“…Despite its flaws, such as the numerous cases of police violence (Azevedo, 2017;Tommasi, 2014), the application of justice using the formal State mechanisms currently available is certainly still the system that best converges towards a project of a viable society. Therefore, it should be noted that the constant occurrences of lynching in Brazil, more than feeding the criminal statistics, require urgent reflection on the maintenance of the democratic rule of law, since such practices deny the right to an official trial, anticipating conviction (Alexandre et al, 2019).…”

“…Therefore, by disregarding official instances, the attempt to resolve conflicts by taking justice into one's own hands significantly distorts the notion of justice and configures an action of revenge (Alexandre et al, 2019;Soto, 2016). This practice transcends even the primitive notion of "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth", since lynching does not even allow for the prerogative of proportionality of punishment.…”