Representação social. Conceituação, dimensão e funções

Abstract

This paper discusses the concept of social representation, its range and role on the light of Moscovici's theory. It embels the notion on the social psychology area and reviews its origin from Durkheim's conception of collective representation. It presents theoretical aspects comprehending the meaning and role of social representations, and it considers the importance of using this construction on the interplay between the social and psychological fields. It shows three reserach projetcs under taken in Brazil based on the theory of social representation to illustrate its large area of application and research.