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How the trust based on personal experience builds social representations of neighbours among Czech and Austrian adolescents living near the Czech – Austrian border. TYRLIK, Mojmir & KOURILOVA, Sylva Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University Brno. History.
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How the trust based on personal experience builds social representations of neighbours among Czech and Austrian adolescents living near the Czech – Austrian border TYRLIK, Mojmir & KOURILOVA, Sylva Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University Brno
History • 1526 – 1918 Habsburg Monarchy • 1948 – 1989 iron curtain
Social representations Relatively stable core – dynamic periphery stereotypes experience General aspects - variability and dynamics of immense situations Situations
Sample • Cz 136 students Znojmo • A 124 students Horn, Retz
Method • number, sort and purpose of visits in the other state • free statement, one or more situations when they had met citizens of the other nationality (at home or abroad)
Results • Type of situations: • Accidental contact • Formal contact • Personal contact
Accidental contact • the status of people and their accompanying behaviour is not officially defined • e.g. asking for a way or asking for help when two strangers meet in the street, shops, mean of transport without addressing each other • In these situations the respondent has only few possibilities to derive his judgement from his own experience.
Formal contact • the mutual relationship and behaviour of the participants is set by their role. • E.g. relationship between a shop assistant and a customer, school exchange of students without any suspicion of more personal relationship. • the social stereotypes are used • determined by a specific role which may be different in different societies. One or the other side doesn’t always react in an apparently standard situation in an expected way
Personal contacts • friendship or at least a closer relationship • e.g. Friends, members of the host family • The respondents define the difference of the other nation members, they do so not on the base of in-group or out-group stereotypes but on the base of their own experience with the behaviour of their foreign friends.
Cz A • Accidental contact 54 8 • Formal contact 38 13 • Personal contact 32 42
Evaluation situational general Cz Accidental yes+/- yes+/- Cz Formal yes+/- yes+/- Cz Personal yes+ yes+ A Accidental yes+/- A Formal yes+/- A Personal yes+ yes+
Core of SR judgement • Generalization of extreme case • Worse in abroad than at home • Language
Generalization of extreme case • The Austrian family was in a role of a customer. Then a problem appeared. I tried to explain it to them but their reaction took me by surprise, because they started to swear at me and blame me for incurred losses
Worse in abroad than at home • “What the Austrians dare to do in the Czech Republic would never dare to in Austria. E.g. two elder Austrians were shopping in a supermarket. They were choosing marmalade according to its taste. The opened jars were given back in the rack. They also export garbage here.
Language • „The Austrians behave very aggressively in the Czech Republic. Sometimes I have the feeling that they think it belongs to them here. If you go to Austria, nobody would speak to you, as long as you do not speak German. They are unwilling to help you unless you use German language, but when they come here, they expect all the comfort and somebody who knows their language and is ready to help them...“
Periphery SR judgement • Split the group • Only country bumpkins go to Kaufland (shoping centre in Znojmo). They are rude, ill-mannered and inconsiderate. When I go to Austria, I like their tidy roads, order in the streets and their behaviour is also OK
Conlusions • The experience, which is based on practical interactions with well known foreigners and friends, results in more favourable view of neighbours. The accountability following on the experience that the foreigners have almost the same traits, qualities and queries as they have, let the people pass away long-standing prejudices and set forward the more stable core of social representations.
The respondents differentiate foreigners according to certain social and demographic categories. While respondents judge a member of one category by social representation, a member of second category is judged by respondent’s experience with some members of the group.This enables them to cope with different people in various situations in for them consistent way.