The social representation of incapacity: A psycho-cultural analysis of Israel's political arena

This article deals with the social representation of incapacity in Israeli political culture by applying CDA (critical discourse analysis) to two outstanding cases of incapacity: permanent incapacity in the case of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon as a result of illness and temporary incapacity in the case of President Moshe Katzav, following a police investigation. A social representation of incapacity in leading figures as seen in the headlines of Ha'aretz (an elite Israeli newspaper) was analysed, with the following results: a) in the case of Prime Minister Sharon, he is a warrior battling for his life, while his successors battle for governmental control and stability. b) in the case of President Katzav, he veers between attacker and attacked. The psycho-social analysis of the political-cultural scene indicates that these social representations provide a mechanism for maintaining stability and cushioning shocks while also disseminating a pronounced sense of confusion.