IDO MOVEMENT FOR CULTURE

Problem and Aim. This survey aims to present on a summary of the views of karatekas on their practice. It aims to define their social representations of karate on the basis of the theories of Serge Moscovici and Jean Claude Abric. The research sheds light on the influence of these social representations on practitioners’ behaviours. It shows also how these social representations are, in turn, affected by their socio cultural environment.
Method. Twenty members of a karate association in Tunis were sampled on a voluntary basis. The results have been reached by qualitative techniques; interviews and hierarchical evaluation.
Results and Conclusions. The constituent elements of social representations of karate namely; practice forms, and the biological, sociological and psychological effects of karate as central components were identified. At the one extremity karate is considered as a means of entertainment. As contrasting components, it has been found that karate is perceived as a way of life and a future plan for living. At the other extremity there are cognitive effects, income and the culture of Japan. Besides, on the one hand, it has been proved that the social representations of karate determine the behaviours of practitioners, their cognitions and their emotions. On the other hand these social representations are determined by the socio cultural environment of the karateka (media, parents, friends, siblings and peers).