Social Representations of AIDS: Pictures in Abnormal Psychology Textbooks, 1984–20051

We identified 129 pictures relating to AIDS/HIV in 94 abnormal psychology textbooks published between 1984 and 2005. Pictures included 189 persons with AIDS/HIV status or risk and 134 AIDS‐related objects; they appeared in chapters on stress, sexual issues, substance abuse, and organic brain disorde...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of applied social psychology 2010-01, Vol.40 (1), p.13-35
Main Authors: Schoeneman, Thomas J., Schoeneman‐Morris, Katherine A., Obradovic, Jelena, Beecher‐Flad, Liesl
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abnormal psychology
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome
AIDS
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus
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Summary:We identified 129 pictures relating to AIDS/HIV in 94 abnormal psychology textbooks published between 1984 and 2005. Pictures included 189 persons with AIDS/HIV status or risk and 134 AIDS‐related objects; they appeared in chapters on stress, sexual issues, substance abuse, and organic brain disorders. Individuals depicted were overwhelmingly male, White, adult, of unspecified sexual orientation, and undiagnosed with mental disorder. The most frequent AIDS‐related objects were signs and posters, hospital furnishings, and drug paraphernalia. Thematic motifs across pictures included patient, information source, junkie, support group, celebrity, child victim, protesters, memorials, condom dispensary, and viral attack. Images of AIDS continue to invoke concepts of “the Other,” death, victimization, and culpability. It is difficult to discuss AIDS without accessing its stereotypes.
ISSN:0021-9029
1559-1816
DOI:10.1111/j.1559-1816.2009.00561.x