Abstract

M. Bertacco (2003).
The Externalization-Internalization Deadlock in Social Representation Theory and
Experimental Social Psychology: A Comment on Jaan Valsiner (2003)
Papers on Social Representations, 12, pages 9.1-9.9.
[http://www.psr.jku.at/]

 

Many European social psychologists consider theoretical fragmentation and
reductionism to be serious problems in experimental social psychology: too many
unrelated theories based on laboratory outcomes for explaining too many
phenomena and behaviors. In a sense, Social Representation Theory might be
considered as one of the new approaches to social behavior set up to overcome
both reductionism and explanatory fragmentation in social psychology. After
describing what could be the core of the dilemma causing theoretical
fragmentation in experimental social psychology, I argue that Social
Representation Theory also suffers from an analogous problem, i.e., a fragmented
universe of social representations. Subsequently, the static and dynamic facets of
Social Representations are considered in relation to their respective heuristic
limits. Next, I attempt to stress some difficulties due to extending the macrogenetic
or cultural level of Social Representations to the micro-genetic or
psychological level. Finally, I outline two possible solutions for conciliating Social
Representation Theory with experimental social psychology.