La representación social de la seguridad ciudadana en los vecinos de la Comuna de Melipilla, Chile

Abstract

The following study undertakes a psycho-sociological approach around the social representations of public safety, in order to make a contribution to and to delve - from the discourse level – into a notion of the concept of safety and crime prevention in the context of neighborhood within the Commune of Melipilla, Chile. Using qualitative research techniques we looked into the elaboration of a descriptive schema of categories that would closely match the object being represented, starting with the meaning that citizens assign to crime and to the emotion that follows the sense of insecurity, expressed in more subjective terms as fear of crime. Actions, interactions and tensions that daily surround members of the commune, both individually and as a community.