The image phenomenon in social psychology: some configurations ¹

Abstract

In this article, the iconological method was revised through a phenomenological approach. The axis of this understanding was established by a series of images of the Church of São Francisco de Assis (Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil). This axis allowed us to observe meanings in relation to the historical time and social space. In the end, we propose the domain of image in social psychology as the study of social processes in which the image is not only a physical-chemical thing, but the mediation between the iconic object, the body and the mental image of the observers, in a social and historical context. The result of this reflection indicates two preliminary syntheses around the concept of mimesis and the participation of the body, both articulated by the aesthetic experience.

Keywords:
social psychology of image; psychology and aesthetics; phenomenology