Representations about Emotions and Masculinity in Bogota Males

Abstract

This article aims to identify the content and organization of social representations about the concept of emotions and masculinity of young Bogota men, from a qualitative study design in the light of social representations through associative techniques such as free listings and questionnaires. In comparison by pairs to 20 young men with employment in Bogotá, Colombia, by means of proactive sampling and convenience, the analysis was carried out in the light of graph theory, after identifying the distance index. It was found that the social representation of the emotion concept is related to a feeling associated to success and motivation, as well as to emotional expressions such as: anger, joy, sadness and happiness. The masculinity concept is permeated by hegemonic elements, linked to strength, power, domination and manhood, related to responsibility and work. It is concluded that the social representation of the concepts of masculinity and emotion is diverse, it is reconciled in several peripheral elements which can be fractured and generate mobility in social representation recognizing the mandates of hegemonic masculinity and male stereotypes.