Κοινωνικές κατασκευές της ιδεολογίας: Ομάδες εστίασης νέων συζητούν για τις πολιτικές «κρίσεις» του ελληνικού κράτους

The study of political ideology constitutes an a priori central issue in social and political psychological research and literature that adopts a critical discursive approach has focused on the ideological functions of discourse, both everyday and institutional. While the connection of political ideology with everyday discourse is evident, however, the study of this notion as a distinct “rhetorical object” has been neglected. This study focuses on the use of the construct of “political ideology” in everyday discourse and on the exploration of the possible functions of its invocation. Considering the constantly changing political scene of the Greek state ideal for the study of this issue, six focus group discussions were conducted with youth of 18-30 years old, focused on the thematicaxes of financial “crisis”, the refugee issue and the rise of the far-right. Using the analytical tools of Critical Discursive Social Psychology and Rhetorical Psychology, analysis indicated that ideology is used by theparticipants as a discursive resource in two basic argumentative contexts. In the first it is discussed in relation to political/voting behavior. In the second it is constructed as a reified notion and is represented “in theory”. Analytic findings are discussed in relation to their functions, as well as, to their implications for social change and agency.