The current transition towards low-carbon energy systems involves a deep socio-technical shift, which affects technological, political, cultural and individual levels. Environmental psychology has largely contributed to understand the relat ionships bet w een values, belief s, norm s, af f ect s, and pro-environm ent al behaviours. However, the on-going transition also involves deep cultural changes. Cultural and constructivist psychological approach suggest that these transformations interact and should be seen as a constitutive part of the individual mind. However, further research is still needed for understanding these symbolic processes and for promoting social change effectively. We suggested that Social Representations Theory — and its links with cultural approaches — may be used as an overarching framework to overcome psychological reductionism and structural determinisms, as well as to re-connect technical and human, social and individual accounts of sustainable transitions (Sarrica et al., 2016). Drawing on such a societal psychology perspective, this contribution presents a line of research aimed at assessing social representations which foster or hinder sustainable energy and cycling (as a key path to sustainable urban mobility) in Italy. Data were collected at national (i.e. press, political debates, visual data), situated (i.e. local press, semi- structured interviews with key people, ethnographic data), and individual (i.e. self- reports, photos, focus-groups) levels. A mixed- method approach (including quantitative analysis, lexico-metric, hermeneutic and content analyses) was adopted to exploit the data. The results exemplify encounters and tensions between co-existing representations, which have relevant implications for policy makers and communication campaigns. Political and press discourses foster stereotypical views of citizens, based on their lack of agency and/ or environmental consciousness. Cycling is also represented by the national press as something ‘other’ from the ‘normal’ transportation modes, and limited to leisure or infancy. At situated and individual level, however, alternate representations emerge which are anchored to locally meaningful practices and self-positioning (as consumers, daydreamers or activists). Local communities and sub-groups resist, negotiate and transform societal representations, giving raise to more active views of citizens involved in sustainable energy transitions and sustainable urban mobility.

SUSTAINABLE TRANSITION IN ITALY: CONTRIBUTIONS FROM SOCIETAL PSYCHOLOGY / Sarrica, Mauro; Rimano, Alessandra; Alecci, Eleonora; Passafaro, Paola; Brondi, Sonia. - (2019), pp. 1602-1602. (Intervento presentato al convegno XVI European Congress of Psychology (ECP 2019) tenutosi a Moscow).

SUSTAINABLE TRANSITION IN ITALY: CONTRIBUTIONS FROM SOCIETAL PSYCHOLOGY

Sarrica Mauro
;
Rimano Alessandra;ALECCI, ELEONORA;Passafaro Paola;Brondi Sonia
2019

Abstract

The current transition towards low-carbon energy systems involves a deep socio-technical shift, which affects technological, political, cultural and individual levels. Environmental psychology has largely contributed to understand the relat ionships bet w een values, belief s, norm s, af f ect s, and pro-environm ent al behaviours. However, the on-going transition also involves deep cultural changes. Cultural and constructivist psychological approach suggest that these transformations interact and should be seen as a constitutive part of the individual mind. However, further research is still needed for understanding these symbolic processes and for promoting social change effectively. We suggested that Social Representations Theory — and its links with cultural approaches — may be used as an overarching framework to overcome psychological reductionism and structural determinisms, as well as to re-connect technical and human, social and individual accounts of sustainable transitions (Sarrica et al., 2016). Drawing on such a societal psychology perspective, this contribution presents a line of research aimed at assessing social representations which foster or hinder sustainable energy and cycling (as a key path to sustainable urban mobility) in Italy. Data were collected at national (i.e. press, political debates, visual data), situated (i.e. local press, semi- structured interviews with key people, ethnographic data), and individual (i.e. self- reports, photos, focus-groups) levels. A mixed- method approach (including quantitative analysis, lexico-metric, hermeneutic and content analyses) was adopted to exploit the data. The results exemplify encounters and tensions between co-existing representations, which have relevant implications for policy makers and communication campaigns. Political and press discourses foster stereotypical views of citizens, based on their lack of agency and/ or environmental consciousness. Cycling is also represented by the national press as something ‘other’ from the ‘normal’ transportation modes, and limited to leisure or infancy. At situated and individual level, however, alternate representations emerge which are anchored to locally meaningful practices and self-positioning (as consumers, daydreamers or activists). Local communities and sub-groups resist, negotiate and transform societal representations, giving raise to more active views of citizens involved in sustainable energy transitions and sustainable urban mobility.
2019
XVI European Congress of Psychology (ECP 2019)
04 Pubblicazione in atti di convegno::04d Abstract in atti di convegno
SUSTAINABLE TRANSITION IN ITALY: CONTRIBUTIONS FROM SOCIETAL PSYCHOLOGY / Sarrica, Mauro; Rimano, Alessandra; Alecci, Eleonora; Passafaro, Paola; Brondi, Sonia. - (2019), pp. 1602-1602. (Intervento presentato al convegno XVI European Congress of Psychology (ECP 2019) tenutosi a Moscow).
File allegati a questo prodotto
Non ci sono file associati a questo prodotto.

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11573/1318160
 Attenzione

Attenzione! I dati visualizzati non sono stati sottoposti a validazione da parte dell'ateneo

Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus ND
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? ND
social impact