Speak for yourself: A study on self-expression and socio-economic status using the social representation theory

• Main Authors: Lee, Karla Patrice L., Ruiz, Kayla Natalia, Ventura, Fatima Dominique C.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2013
• Subjects: Social status; Social Class; Psychology
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_bachelors/10648
• Institution: De La Salle University

This is a qualitative research that studies the self-expression of individuals coming from the lower socio-economic status (SES), and the upper SES in the Philippines. It uses a social representations theory as its framework in analyzing the data. The researchers conducted semi-structured interviews on eight respondents from the lower SES and twelve respondents from the upper SES. The researchers made use of thematic analysis to extract themes that were conveyed by the respondents. Three main themes emerged: expression of feelings, feelings implied, and observable feelings. Both the respondents from the upper socio-economic class and lower socio-economic class express certain feelings such as frustration, anxieties and contentment. There is a difference in the directness, self-consciousness and conversational tone of the two SES. Moreover, the behavioral and verbal patterns of the low SES group shows more less self-confidence while the high SES group are more self-confident.