1.Introduction

Social representations are not scientific theories, but rather networks of ideas, metaphors and images, more or less  interconnected,  harmonized,  mobile  in  nature  and  in  constant  change  and  restructuring  according  to  the transformations of the social and natural environment (Prisecaru & Curelaru, 2013). Social representations are the “outcome of our actions and communications” (Moscovici, 1997), serving as images that mediate the tension between unfamiliar, sometimes hostile reality and the self. Their creator conceives them as systems of values, concepts, and practices tied to objects –dimensions of the social world that help individuals make sense of material reality and adapt their behavior and language to new circumstances. In essence, the are constructs that reflect reality and highlight events within groups; metaphors that bring the unknown closer and transform the abstract into something familiar (Abalașei, 2014).Originally  formulated  by  Serge  Moscovici,  social  representation  theory  provides  a  foundation  for understanding  how  collective  knowledge  is  constructed  and  employed  within  social  contexts.  It  posits  that representations are shared frameworks through which groups interpret their experiences, combining psychological and  sociological  dimensions  (Caravaca –Morena  et  al.,  2015).These  representations  arise  from  the  interaction between individual cognition and collective cultural knowledge, emphasizing that both subjective and social factors shape the construction of meaning (Caravaca -Morera et al., 2015; Tsarev, 2024).Therefore, social representations can be considered collectively elaborated modes of knowledge and at the same  time,  reading  grids  of  reality  or  categories  of  knowledge  with  social  functions,  aimed  at  the  community integration of individuals and at providing a range of possibilities for action in the social world. These are forms of social consciousness, products of groups, social classes, or cultures, collectively generated under the impact of the social context.In attempt to provide a broader description of the universe of social representations, several theories have been formulated since 1980s. One of these, defined as the structural approach, emphasizes opinion consensus. From this perspective, a social representation consists of a central core, stable and rigid, as well as e peripheral system, context-sensitive and serving to protect the former. The central system facilitates the interpretation of reality, gives meaning to events, guides the conduct, organizes peripheral elements and preserves group identity and history(Prisecaru & Curelaru, 2013). As for our own work, in order to achieve the objectives of the first study, we have relied on this theoretical and methodological perspective. Social representations are characterized by a hierarchical structure consisting of core are peripheral elements. The core of a representation comprises the fundamental beliefs or themes that are widely accepted within a group, while peripheral elements capture the nuances and variations that may differ among individual or contexts (Wolter, 2018). This structural approach allows researchersto examine not only what a community collectively believes but also how these beliefs may evolve overtime or in response to changing socio-political conditions.The individual’s encounter with shared meanings emerges from the effort to make sense of an unfamiliar reality—an experience that first provokes fear through ignorance, but later transforms into a pursuit of understanding. In this way, the social representation becomes a bridge, drawing a parallel between the visible image and the deeper substance it reflects (Abalașei, 2014).

Furthermore, the methodological aspects of social representation theory often involve both qualitative and quantitative methods to analyze the content and structure of representations. Techniques such as free word association and narrative analysis are commonly employed to elicit data on how individuals and groups conceptualize specific topics. These methods enable researchers to produce rich, contextualized insights into how social representations are formed and articulated, revealing the underlying socialand emotional landscapes associated with particular issues (Wang, 2020; Caravaca‐Morera et al., 2015).The epistemological implications of social representation theory extend to how knowledge is constructed and legitimized within society. Tsarev (2024) discusses how social cognition encompasses various dimensions, including epistemological and axiological elements, which affect how knowledge is produced and its implications for societal practices. This perspective emphasizes that understanding social knowledge requires a comprehensive framework that acknowledges  the  values  and  meanings  attributed  to  different  contexts,  thereby  reinforcing  the  social  nature  of knowledge production.Social representations can be viewed as both cognitive and social constructs that mediate between individual experience and collective meaning. They not only serve to interpret the world but also to anchor individuals within their cultural and social contexts.Guided  by  these  theoretical  and  methodological  foundations,  the  present  studyfocuses  on  the  social representation of psychomotricity within the field of fencing, a discipline in which body, mind and movement intersect in highly specific ways. Social space is built from images and associations, and social actors continuously circulate these through communication, shaping shared meanings. When individuals are asked to imagine psychomotricity in fencing, they bring forward spontaneous ideas, metaphors and images that reveal how this concept is understood outside its strictly scientific definition. This perspective enables the identification of core and peripheral components withing the representation of psychomotricity in fencing, capturing both the stable, shared beliefs and the context –dependent variations that characterize this concept within the sporting community.Our research aims to identify and analyze the first ideas that come to fencers’ minds when they think of psychomotricity in fencing.

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2.Material and method

This study comprised 31 subjects, fencers from Iași, Romania.The questionnaire was applied online through their coaches. They were ensured confidentiality and they were asked to fill in the questionnaire in a personal manner.To  analyze  the  responses  from  the  first  two  items  of  the  questionnaire,  I  employed  two  complementary approaches: the world association method developed by Vergès (2001) and an alternative analytical model proposed by Havârneanu (2000) for identifying the structure and organization of social representations. Vergès’s technique relies on two key indicators –the frequency with which a term appears and its average order of appearance –while Havârneanu’s method combines frequency of occurrence with average importance rankings. In the latter case, the overall social representation indicator was calculated using the following formula:SocialRepresentationIndicator(RI) =OccurrenceFrequency×MeanofRanksData  from  the  world  association  questionnaire –designed  to  reveal  how  respondents  conceptualize psychomotricity in fencing by considering both the frequency and the importance of associated term –were processed using the Vergès’s quadrant technique and Havârneanu’s comparative method.According to Vergès’s model, the results were organized in a four-field matrix that distinguishes elements based on how often they appear and how early they are mentioned. Terms with high frequency and low average rank (below set threshold) were identified as part of the central nucleus of the representation, representing its most stable and widely shared components. Conversely, terms with lower frequency and higher average rank were interpreted as peripheral elements, reflecting more individual or contextual associations.Havârneanu’s method, on the other hand, integrates frequency values with mean importance ranks. By cross-tabulating  these  variables  and  plotting  them  graphically,  the  analysis  differentiates  between  core  and  peripheral dimensions of the representation based on the magnitude of the calculated indicator.Applying the world association procedure resulted in67distinct lexicaloccurrences, which included both synonyms and closely related expressions. These were subsequently grouped into conceptual categories (Table 1) to capture the range of perceptions surrounding psychomotricity in fencin