Tatiana de Lucena Torres

Social representations and normative beliefs of aging

This study adopted the theory of social representations as a theoretical framework in order to characterize similarities and differences in social representations and normative beliefs of aging for different age groups. The 638 participants responded to self-administered questionnaire and were equally distributed by sex and age. The results show that aging is characterized by positive stereotypes (knowledge and experience); however, retirement is linked to aging, but in a negative way, particularly for men, involving illness, loneliness and disability. When age was considered, it was verified that the connections with the representational elements became more complex for older groups, showing social representation functionality, largely for the elderly. Adulthood seems to be preferred and old age is disliked. There were divergences related to the perception of the beginning of life phases, especially that of old age. Work was characterized as the opposite of aging, and it revealed the need for actions intended for the elderly and retired workers, with post-retirement projects. In addition, it suggests investment in public policies that encourage intergenerational contact, with efforts to reduce intolerance and discrimination based on age of people.

Meaningful Work Scale in creative industries: a confirmatory factor analysis

This study conducts a confirmatory factor analysis of a meaningful Canadian work model. The sample comprised 446 professionals working in creative industries based in Midwestern and Northeastern Brazil who completed the 25-item Meaningful Work Scale (MWS). This study tested both the original Canadian five-factor model and a six-factor model previously adapted into Portuguese, based on professionals from Sao Paulos creative industries. The results indicate that globally, both models, when re-specified, seem to fit the data. However, an inspection of the local fit indices suggests problems with both models, specifically in two factors: development and learning, and expressiveness and identification with work. We discuss the extent to which these findings may relate to cultural and occupational influences. The paper concludes that the meaningful work model, although it can vary in content, is vulnerable to possible subculture differences in the Brazilian context.