STRATEGIC APPROACHES TO ENHANCING THE SOCIAL REPRESENTATION OF FAMILY STRUCTURES IN THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA

Abstract

The goal of this study was to identify the content of adolescents’ social representation of the family, highlighting the central core and peripheral elements, as well as the conditions for modification at the cognitive level. The main objectives included assessing the potential for positively influencing the peripheral elements of social representation through changing social practices, developing a psychological intervention program, and testing its effectiveness. The program, which was structured into two modules and conducted over 12 sessions, incorporated cognitive-behavioral and rational-emotive therapeutic approaches. Post-intervention results demonstrated that adolescents in the experimental group exhibited significant changes in the peripheral elements of the family’s social representation, replacing negative terms with more positive concepts such as „value” and „understanding.” In contrast, no such changes were observed in the control group, thus validating the effectiveness of the intervention. Additionally, the intervention included simulations and meetings with successful families to support positive changes in adolescents’ perceptions.

Keywords

• family
• social representation
• adolescents
• psychological intervention
• social practices