Representation about political participation and the belief in a just world: A study about argentine youth

BARREIRO, ALICIA ; KRIGER, MIRIAM

Estambul

Encuentro; Annual Scientific Meeting of the International Society of Political Psychology (ISPP),; 2011

International Society of Political Psychology (ISPP)

This study deals with the relationship of young Argentines with politics. The main objective is to analyze the relations between historical understanding (Carretero & Kriger, 2011) and social world conceptualization in conformation of political thought (Kriger 2010a). Specifically, this presentation focuses in the relationship between the representation of young people about their political participation and the ideological belief in a just world (BJW) (Lerner, 1980).Political participation is one dimension of the relationship with politics. In this work the representation of young people is examined, emphasizing on feelings and moral values that guide their attitude or willingness to participate in politics. In this way, according to previous research (Kriger, 2010b), it establishes a tension between engagement and distancing, where the former is linked to desire, and the latter to fear to participate in politics.Cultural and historical resources, particularly ideologies serve as empowering and constraining tools for identity formation(Wertsch. 1998). In particular, the BJW asserts that the world is a just place, where everyone obtains what deserve. This belief naturalizes and justifies social order by blaming to the victims for their suffer (Agoustinos, 1999; Barreiro, 2008).So, it’s possible to think that, if world is a just place (according to de BJW), political participation will be represented as disruptive of social order. Therefore, political participation could be represented as “dangerous", because it is linked to a punished.