THE GENERATION AND MAINTENANCE OF STEREOTYPE OF THE CONSUMER OF ILLEGAL SUBSTANCES: AN EXEMPLIFICATION THROUGH A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF

DISCURSIVE PRACTICES THAT CHARACTERIZE THE ITALIAN AND THE DUTCH TEXT OF THE LAW

Roberto Fumagalli e Simona Fanelli Department of psychology – University of Padua, Italia • E-mail: labsalute.psicologia@unipd.it

Theoretical frame of reference The theoretical framework of the research is the narrativistic paradigm that defines reality as generated by discursive

practices used in a specific socio-cultural context and then continuously in transformation. In this sense the consumer of psychoactive substances is considered as an existing reality generated by speeches that a certain socio-cultural structure makes available in a particular historical moment. This research is based on the theory of the dialogical identity, or the identity is built from the dialogue of three polarity of narration, (look at the figure). Through this theory how the different

voices involved in the research generate and maintain the stereotype of consumer of psychoactive substances have been investigated.

Aim of research To investigate how the stereotype of illegal substances consumers is generated and maintained in

two different countries (Italy and Netherlands)This, analyzing both discursive practices of who are differently involved in the generation of that

reality, and through the textual analysis of those laws who are addressed to the consumption of

substances.

METHODOLOGY OF RESEARCH AND TEXT ALISYS DATA INSTRUMENTS

FIRST STEP: TEXTUAL ANALISYS OF ITALIAN AND DUTCH QUESTIONNAIRE AND IDENTIFICATION OF DISCURSIVE REPERTORIES

SECOND STEP: ITALIAN AND DUCH ANALISYS OF LAW TEXTS ABOUT CONSUME OF ILLEGAL SUBSTANCES AND IDENTIFICATION OF DISCURSIVE REPERTORIES

COMPARISON BETWEEN KNOWLEDGE MODALITIES USED BY INTERWIEWED COMING FROM THE TWO COUNTRIES AND LEXICAL CONSTRUCTS USED BY THE LAWS

M.A.D.I.T. methodology of textual Processing Data Analysis

USE OF THE SOFTAWE SPADT AS A TOOL FOR THE ANALISIS OF QUESTIONNAIRE ANSWERS

USE OF THE SOFTWARE ATLAS.T AS A TOOL FOR THE ANALYSIS OF LAW TEXTS

Identity stereotype

Propter omnes Communal matrix

(consumers, sellers, police forces)

Personalis (Auto-attribution

Consumers)

t3

t1Alter

(Hetero-attributionSellers, police forces)

t2

SAMPLE

NL

IT60 consumers 14 sellers14 police forces

70 consumers 70 sellers10 police forces

CONSUMER who used in the past or was using at the

moment of the research these substances: cocaine, heroin, hashish, marijuana, ecstasy, hallucinogenic

mushrooms, popper, amphetamines SELLER (of psychoactive substances )

Who, with a regular license issued by the Government in which it exercise its activities,

trades substances with psychoactive effect

POLICE FORCEWho, in accordance with existing

regulations of a country, acts interventions againstconsumers of illicit substances

•AUTO-ATTRIBUTIONDiscursive practices characterized by the use of 1 person in retrospective, current, early terms

• HETERO ATTRIBUTION Discursive practices characterized by the use of

2 or 3 person in retrospective, current, early terms

• COMMUNAL MATRIXUniverse of possible Discursive

within a defined culture

•Italian laws text

•Netherlands laws text

F3

3210-1-2-3

F4

4

3

2

1

0

-1

-2

-3

-4

substances

stoned

searching

relaxed

regular-people

recreationquiet

person

party-people open-mindednormal-person

normal

need-money

junkies

junk

free-spirits

forbidden

experimental

experienced-guy

everybody-use

enjoying-of-life

dumb-person

down-to-the-hole

dependent

slow walker

creative-people

bit crazy

cannot-describe

bored

big-eyesbeing-bored

good

hyper active

a worker

PERSONAL OPINION

NOT DEFINITION JUDGMENT

DESCRIPTION

JUDGMENT

F3

43210-1-2-3

F4

4

3

1

0

-2

-3

vicious

tutte

sad

trasgressive

tipo-di-sostanza

tempo

suoi dumb

subject

sociable

not in condition

scopritore

sconnected

smart

sa-cavare

relaxedAble

rebe

Not-justified-repression

problemathic

Not-equilibrate

perdere

not-free

adult

restless

enterprisin

intelligent

instable

Not-satisfied

inserito

in-fase

immature

illuse

ignorant

crafty

Out-of-law

edonist

dipendente

dipende-daldeviant

confused

self

attivo

apathetic

Anti.giuridichal

anxious

VALUTATION

TO STATE REALYTY

JUDGMENT

No DEFINITION

ITALYITALY NETHERLANDSNETHERLANDS

POLO DISCURSIVE REPERTORY

TEXT DISCURSIVE REPERTORY

TEXT

AUTO ATTRIBUTI

ON

REPERTORY OF “TO STATE REALYTY”

Outlaw, anti-legal deviant

REPERTORY OF DESCRIPTION

party-people, big eyes, experienced-guy, slow-walker

HETERO ATTRIBUTI

ON

REPERTORY OF PERSONAL OPINION

Not justify repression

REPERTORY OF PERSONAL OPINION

need-money

HETERO ATTRIBUTI

ON

REPERTORY OF VALUTATION

able, self, mature know a lot, enterprising, active

COMMUNAL MATRIX

REPERTORY OF JUDGMENT

ignorant, restless, problematic, anxious, nerd, balanced

REPERTORY OF DESCRIPTION

skinny, hungry, my-self, like-everybody, friend-of-mine

DISCURSIVE REPERTORY: a fixed modality of construction of reality, in linguistic sense meant and with a pragmatic value, grouped together in many statements (archipelagos of meaning), articulated in linked sentences and spread with a value of statement of truth,

which aim is to generate (construct)/keep a narrative coherence FIRST STEP

SECOND STEP

ITALY

NETHERLANDS

TOWN LEGISLATION TEXT REPERTORY“Unique laws text” about regulation

of drugs and Prevention

of PsychotropicSubstances use,

care and rehabilitationof related states

of drug addiction

Opium Act: Law Of 12 May 1928

Containing Regulations Concerning Opium and

Other narcoticSubstances

art. 89 Restrictive measures against DRUG ADDICTED

Involved in therapeutic Programs

art. 8i 2. An exemption from

the prohibition on growing hemp or

processing, treating ortransporting hemp,

hashish and hempseed oil for the purposes

referred to in Article 8hshall only be granted to

THE PERSON WITH whom Our Minister enters

into an agreement inthis regard to

perform such acts.

Requirement

Requirement

IT

NL

SAMPLE Connotative repertories

Law text Prescriptive repertories

SAMPLEConnotative repertoriesDescriptive repertories

Law text Prescriptive repertories

DRUG ADDICT STIGMA LABLE

ANY PERSON WHO ONGOING DESCRIPTION

OF ACTION

STEPS

CONCLUSIONWith reference to the construction and maintenance of the stereotype of consumer substances results that:1 There is an equivalance between the regulatory speech and the discourse of the community because both use the same constructs to define the consumer. This lead to affirm that there is a mutual interchange between what the laws declare and what common sense speech says in the finding common factors.2 there is a difference between the construction of the stereotype between Italy and the Netherlands: the first uses connotative knowledge modalities more than the Netherlands. From the result of this analysis is possible to conclude that when you put in place interventions towards consumers of substances it is not possible to abstract from what is the discursive configuration that generates and maintains the stereotype of the consumer of substances in communities. Any intervention must therefore necessarily takes account of how the identity of the consumer is built to go to intervene on the focus in which this process develops.

CONNECTED TO THIS PAPER YOU CAN FIND IN THE SECTION DIALOGICAL MODEL: •“The Dialogical Identity as discursive configuration: what scientific foundation?”•“The change process of the discursive configuration “consumption of drugs”: a research”IN THE SECTION SUBSTANCES: •The association “I Ragazzi della Panchina”: the construction of the discursive configuration of “drug addict” and the relation with the territory