Perception of the Normative System and Its Psychosocial Correlates in Argentina, Peru, and Venezuela

The study analyzes the perception of the normative system, its relation to the emotions deriving from that evaluation, and components of national identity in Argentina, Peru, and Venezuela, in a sample of 799 persons. On the one hand, results show a negative perception of the normative system in the countries studied, a high sense of social demoralization, and a negative emotional balance regarding the functioning of the normative system. On the other hand, they show medium-high scores in measurements of identification with the national collective and collective self-esteem. Path analysis shows that the perception of the normative system generates feelings of social demoralization, negative emotions, absence of positive emotions, decrease in collective self-esteem, and, indirectly, a lower identification with the national collective. That is, the negative perception of the normative system has negative repercussions on citizens' emotional level, weakens the sense of informal distributive justice, and decreases the feelings of pride and satisfaction with the homeland.