What is the role of Pôle Emploi? Crossed representations among job seekers and careers advisers: Between requests for help and types of support provision

IntroductionSince 2008, Pôle Emploi (PE), the French government agency responsible for handling unemployment matters and unemployment benefits, has undergone a major restructuring, influencing the work of careers advisers (CA) and the support and follow-up services provided to job seekers (JS). This study examines the representations of PE and support among both CAs and JSs.ObjectivesThe aim of the study is to contribute to a reflection on CA training.MethodIn the first study, 84 CAs and 125 JSs responded to a questionnaire using a word association task (WAT). In the second study, interviews were conducted with 22 CAs and 19 JSs. The data were analyzed based on a lexicometric analysis supplemented by discourse analysis.ResultsThe core of advisers’ representation was found to include support and JS autonomy with the aim of helping JSs to return to work, while JSs’ representations appear to be centered around employment – specifically, appropriate job offers. In addition, when CAs referred to support, they tended to locate JSs in an asymmetrical relationship in which CAs lead the interaction while JSs remain passive.ConclusionThe gap between the two sets of representations, together with the position implicitly adopted by CAs, has significant implications for the provision of support. This point is the subject of the discussion.     

Le paradigme de Jellison et Green : de la clairvoyance à la réactivité normative

This article questions congruence between the contents of the definition of the concept of normative perspicacity and Jellison and Green's paradigm to obtain its measurement. It centres the discussion on the capacity of the subjects to answer the changes of instructions and restores it in the study of complex mechanisms governing the relations of the individuals with the social standards.     

Théorie du noyau central et transformation des cultures organisationnelles à l'occasion d'une fusion

Mergers are characterized by a regrouping of organizations, which do not have the same cultures. The question of the future of these different cultures therefore arises. An observational study was conducted based on the theory of the Central Core, selected to examine the organisational cultures. It consisted of comparing the initial cultures of two firms selected to merge and that of a group made up of employees of the two organizations and who worked together for six months. We observed a transformation of the central core of these employees' social representations. This preliminary study showed the relevance of the use of the theory of the Central Core in the study of cultural changes.     

Validation of the Internet and Social Networking Experiences Questionnaire in Spanish adolescents

The aim of this paper is to validate the Internet Related Experiences Questionnaire (IREQ) with a sample of 525 participants from Compulsory Secondary Education, considering the possible addiction to the internet from both interpersonal and intrapersonal dimensions. Besides, associations between CERI scores and several variables such as sex, age as well as selfesteem were analyzed. Results show a good fit of the questionnaire through a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), where the interpersonal factor explains a higher percentage of the variance at the expense of the intrapersonal factor. Statistically significant differences between IREQ scores and age and a lineal positive association between self-esteem and possible interpersonal addiction to the internet were found. The possibility of these results to be affected by the social use of the Internet and the generalization in young people's lives is discussed. Moreover, the need of designing and implementing prevention programs for a healthy use of the internet is discussed.     

Identidad nacional e identidades regionales en el Chile de hoy ¿complementariedad o conflicto?

Resumen

El presente trabajo se propone estudiar la relación entre los procesos de identificación grupal y discriminación intergrupal, a través del estudio de un caso idiosincrático, como es la relación entre la identidad nacional y las identidades regionales en Chile, desde la perspectiva de la Teoría de la Identidad Social. Vara ello aplicó un cuestionario a una muestra de 918 estudiantes universitarios de cuatro regiones del país, seleccionados por medio de un muestreo probabilístico. Los resultados indican que la identidad nacional y la regional son las identidades territoriales más importantes para los participantes y que ambas configurarían identidades inclusivas, ya que quienes presentan mayores niveles de identidad regional, tienden a ser también quienes presentan los niveles más altos de identificación con Chile. Además, se ha encontrado que ambas identidades tendrían significados idénticos o complementarios, de acuerdo al modelo de valores personales de Schwartz.     

Modification des représentations sociales des métiers d’infirmier et d’animateur socioculturel chez des étudiants grâce à une action de santé publique menée en interdisciplinarité

Health care and social care professionals are increasingly encouraged to exchange views and to define prevention actions, in order to respond to the needs of the users in a targeted and personalized way. The objective of this study is to analyze the impact of interdisciplinary work between a group of nursing students and a group of third-year degree students in social intervention, on their respective representations concerning their future profession. One hundred and twenty-nine nursing students and 41 third-year degree students in social intervention responded twice to a specific questionnaire, built up from the skills listed in the respective competency framework of the two groups of students. The results indicate that after designing and carrying out a public health action with specific audiences (children, teenagers, students, people in precarious situations, people with disabilities), the two groups of students experience a meaningful change in the social representation of each other's profession: it moves from a role of care or animation technician to a more complex vision of the two professions, more in connection with the competency frameworks. It is therefore for the initial training to prepare them early for interdisciplinary work, so that they become professionals capable of responding appropriately to the specific needs of users.     

Análisis del inventario de aserción de Gambrill y Richey

Resumen

Se analiza el Inventario de Aserción de Gambrill y Richey para conocer si mediante la factorizatión de sus ítems, aparecen los componentes y determinantes situacionales considerados importantes por la mayoría de los autores que estudian la aserción. Finalmente se dan instrucciones para su aplicación en la evaluación de la conducta asertiva.     

Changing Me,Changing Us: Relationship Quality and Collective Efficacy as Major Outcomes in Systemic Couple Therapy

We examine the sensitivity to change in the Evaluation of Social Systems (EVOS) scale, which assesses relationship quality and collective efficacy. In Study 1 we conducted a waitlist‐control, short‐term couple therapy RCT study (N = 43 couples) with five systemic therapy sessions treating communication and partnership problems; our intent was to provide high external validity. Construct validity of EVOS was assessed by comparison with additionally applied scales (Family Scales; Outcome Questionnaire, OQ‐45.2). In Study 2, N = 332 individuals completed an experiment with high internal validity in order to verify sensitivity to change in three different social contexts. Results from Study 1 revealed a significant increase in relationship quality in the treatment group directly after treatment, as compared to the control group. Sensitivity to change was slightly better for EVOS than for other measures. While this positive change could not be fully sustained between posttreatment and a 4‐week follow‐up, EVOS score did not fall below baseline and pretreatment levels, supporting moderate‐to‐large sensitivity to change. Study 2 supported high sensitivity to change in EVOS for couple relations, family relations, and work‐team relationships. Therefore, EVOS can be used as an outcome measure to monitor the process of systemic interventions focusing on relationship quality and collective efficacy. Due to its sensitivity to change, EVOS can provide evidence for treatment success with regard to relationship aspects.     

Niveles socioeconómicos-culturales y ejecución lingüística

Resumen

En este artículo se realiza una aproximación al estudio y evaluación del lenguaje desde una perspectiva psicosocial. El objetivo prioritario de esta investigación es conocer y exporter la importancia y relevancia que poseen ciertas variables socioeconómicas culturales, tipificadas como indicadores sociales, sobre el rendimiento en lenguaje, evaluado a través del I.T.P.A., de una muestra de escolares del Ciclo Medio de la E.G.B, en Galicia.     

Libros recibidos. Reseñas breves

Resumen

La teoría de las representaciones sociales (TRS) es un buen punto de partida para una reflexión psicológica social sobre los procesos de producción de significado, puesto que: A) Se trata de una teoría reflexiva sobre su propio anclaje sociohistórico, B) ofrece una alternativa a la dicotomía entre lo social y lo individual en el estudio del conocimiento y la acción humanas, C) abre a la reflexión/investigación los vínculos entre el mundo de vida cotidianoy las esferas sociales relativamente autónomas, D) al enfatizar una perspectiva de proceso, obliga a problematizar nuestra visión de la historicidad de lo social y lo psicológico, y E) permite discutir la especificidad del modo de operación de las significaciones en las instituciones sociales y en el funcionamientopsicológico. En este trabajo se examina cómo estas características de la TRS hacen posible un avance en la comprensión de los procesos de producción de significado, así como los problemas que deja sin resolver. Se trata de mostrar que el concepto de “significaciones imaginario sociales” elaborado por Castoriadispuede contribuir a resolver o a reformular algunos de los problemas pendientes y a vislumbrar algunas líneas adicionales de análisis de los procesos de producción de significado.