Rejeição do uso de camisinha por adolescentes: uma perspectiva a partir da zona muda das representações sociais

After the appearance of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (Aids) and its constitution as a generalized epidemic, the use of condoms was recommended as a safe way to prevent the syndrome and other sexually transmitted diseases. Thus, in this article, from the prototypical analysis and the definition of the concept of the Mute Zone of the Social Representations (ABRIC, 2003, 2005), we use the substitution technique to reveal the hidden or masked representations due to their inadequacy to the social norms in force in a group of adolescents, from the State of Rio de Janeiro’ periphery, about the use of condoms. Our data revealed distinct normative and contranormative beliefs among the female and male adolescents about the use of the condom. For teenage girls, we have identified a normative representation of the fear of becoming pregnant and a counter-normative representation that using condoms is “annoying”, because it bothers the skin. In comparison to teenage boys, we have identified a normative representation of the fear of contracting a disease and a counter-normative representation that using a condom is “bad”, because it is uncomfortable.