摘要：This paper explores themata as a means of elucidating what is understood about social issues, inparticular, blood donation. We conceptualised themata as dialectical antinomies (Marková 2000;2003), and looked to the figurative kernel of the representation to identify what the underlyingthema/themata might be. In so doing, we posed the question of whether each of the antimonies ina thema gives rise to a separate homogeneous representation or whether it is as a pair thatantimonies generate a, potentially, heterogeneous representational field. One thousand and eightyparticipants wrote the first five words that sprung to mind when they thought about ‘blooddonation’. Multi-Dimensional Scaling and Hierarchal Cluster Analysis revealed a figurativekernel comprised of both negative and positive aspects of blood donation. Further analysissuggested this was articulated through the thema of Self/Other. We discuss the methodology employed, and the implications of understanding themata for communications by the Australian Red Cross Blood Service.
关键词：themata; thema; blood donation; social representations; figurative kernel
