Journal article
Talking about transplants: Social representations and the dialectical, dilemmatic nature of organ donation and transplantation
British Journal of Social Psychology, Vol.41(2), pp.299-320
2002
Abstract
In many westernized countries, organ donation rates are low in comparison with the need for life-saving organ transplants, and are at odds with generally high community endorsement of organ donation. This is particularly true for Western Australia, the location of this study. This contradiction between endorsement and donation is investigated within a framework that draws from Moscovici's (1984) theory of Social Representations, Guimelli's (1998) differentiation between normative and functional dimensions of the central core, and Billig's (1988) rhetorical position on the role of argumentation in discourse. Four focus group discussions on organ donation and transplantation were conducted. Analysis of the discourse suggests that the social representation of organ donation and transplantation can be understood best as a representational field organized around two dialectically 'opposed' images - the gift of life and the mechanistic removal and replacement of body parts. The normative and functional expression of these two images as a pro-donation stance and a qualified pro-donation stance is discussed, as is the role of argumentation in the production of a social representation.
Details
- Title
- Talking about transplants: Social representations and the dialectical, dilemmatic nature of organ donation and transplantation
- Authors/Creators
- G. Moloney (Author/Creator) - Murdoch UniversityI. Walker (Author/Creator) - Murdoch University
- Publication Details
- British Journal of Social Psychology, Vol.41(2), pp.299-320
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Identifiers
- 991005542464207891
- Copyright
- © 2002 The British Psychological Society
- Murdoch Affiliation
- Murdoch University
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article
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Source: InCites
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- Citation topics
- 1 Clinical & Life Sciences
- 1.157 Organ Donation & Transplantation
- 1.157.708 Organ Donation
- Web Of Science research areas
- Psychology, Social
- ESI research areas
- Psychiatry/Psychology