This research investigates the social representation of violence in groups of adolescents in São Paulo and it was developed with three groups of 14- to 17-year-old high school students, in three schools located in the West side of the city. Data were collected via verbal (group discussion) and non-verbal (collage) procedures, aiming to enlarge the comprehension of violence from the standpoint of adolescents and were analyzed based upon Moscovici's Social Representation theory. Results showed that social representation of violence appeared in situations associated to children, youths, and graphic scenes of destruction, crimes, politics and sports. Adolescents identify themselves with those scenes, expressing the fear and insecurity that the phenomenon elicits. Decrease in violence passes through cooperation and awareness processes on the adolescents' viewpoint.
Adolescence; Violence; Social Representation
