Social perceptions of the marital relationship among a sample of couples in Algerian society -Psychosocial approach

Abstract

This study aims to explore the nature of the social representations that spouses have of the conjugal relationship, and to reach what constitutes the central nucleus and its peripheral elements. The researcher adopted the descriptive approach, on a sample composed of (100) married men and women, randomly selected in the wilayas of Algiers Centre and Annaba, using the technique of free association, developed by Abric in 1994, based on the Jaoui mind map technique in 1979. The results of the study, after the analysis, revealed that the social representations of the conjugal relationship of married people are related to the social functions of the family, organized around seven (07) dimensions, the central core of which was constituted by the dimension of social function, while the peripheral elements were represented by: moral values, the psychological function, the communication function, the family structure, the religious function, as well as motivation and success. The results also revealed that there was no difference in the structure of social representations at the level of the central core and the peripheral system, attributable to gender. In contrast, the differences were manifested in the order of dimensions at the level of the first and second peripheral systems in the spouses, which is consistent with Abric's statement that social representations accept the existence of differences between individuals regarding the peripheral system, thus reflecting the individual specialization of representations.

We conclude that social perceptions guide our behavior through the set of ideas and knowledge we form about the subject, which are rooted in cultural, ideological and value heritage during socialization.