A função social do contrato como concretização de direitos fundamentais nas relações privadas

This dissertation deals with the social function of the contract, based on constitutional principles, especially those relating to fundamental rights. The social function of the contract (general clause) is described in the Civil Code so intentionally generic, no precise criteria to define it. Because of the fluidity of this principle, it is justified its closer study, seeking to assess its various meanings and looking away from the legal uncertainty that an unlimited conceptual vagueness can cause. The social function of the contract arises from a transformation experienced in private law from the inflows received from the Constitutional Law, the result of an evolutionary process by which it became the state structure, leaving the foundations of the classical liberal state and moving toward a vision guided by existential human values that give the keynote of the Welfare State. Arose, then the concern about the effectiveness of fundamental rights in relations between individuals, which is studied from the inapplicability of fundamental rights in private relations (U.S. doctrine of State action), passing to the analysis of the Theory of indirect horizontal effect of fundamental rights (of German creation and majority acceptance), reaching the right horizontal efficacy Theory of fundamental rights, prevailing Brazilian doctrine and jurisprudence. It has also been investigated the foundations of the social contract, pointing out that, apart from the provisions of the constitutional legislation, that base the principle on screen, there have also been noticed foundations in the Federal Constitution, in devices like the art. 1, III, the dignity of the human person is the north of the relationship between contractors. Also art. 3rd, I CF/88 bases the vision of social covenants, equipping it for the implementation of social solidarity, as one of the fundamental objectives of the Republic. Still on art. 170 of the Constitution it is seen as a locus of reasoning in the social function of the contract, the maintenance of the economic order. It is also studied the internal and external aspects of the social function of the contract, being the first part the one that considers the requirement of respect for contractual loyalty, through the objective good faith, as a result of the dignity of the hirer may not be offended by the other through the contract. On the other hand, the external facet of the social function of the contract, in line with the constitutional mandate of solidarity, indicates the need for contractors to respect the rights of society, namely the diffuse, collective and individual third party. In this external appearance, it is also pointed the notion of external credit protection, addressing the duty of society to respect the contract. There has been shown some notions of the social contract in comparative law. Then, there has been investigated the content of principle study, through their interrelationships with other provisions of private and constitutional law, namely equality, objective good faith, private autonomy and dignity of the human person. We study the application of the social contract in contractual networks as well as the guidance of conservation of contracts, especially those denominated long-term captive contracts, considering the theory of substantive due performance, concluding with an analysis of the social contract in code of Consumer Protection

Gestão Social em Empreendimentos Econômicos Solidários: uma abordagem no Oeste Potiguar

The central research question was to search for data to ratify the theory and discourse of the so-called practitioners of economic solidarity, by defending the substantive rationality should guide the principles of economic solidary, designing the space economy incidental and not the primacy of relations in determining social as well, reflecting the predominance of dimensions of social management in administrative practices of ESS's. For both analyzed the theoretical dimensions of social management - sociopolitical, economic, organizational and environmental - manifested in organizational practices supportive of economic organization Potiguar West. For the success of the research realized the triangulation involving a combination of quantitative and qualitative methodological approaches. At first the research will use a quantitative approach, from the cluster analysis, to verify the behavior of the sample chosen for this study. In the second stage of the qualitative study was carried out focus group technique (FLICK, 2002) for further analysis of the dimensions of social management on organizational practices supportive of economic organization, related to the principles of Solidary Economy, established in a quantitative approach. In quantitative analysis, the socio-political dimension, it was clear that the more equity instruments of internal and external, from the purposeful living in public spaces, the best monetary results. Another point worth stressing concerns the economic dimension, with the practice reciprocity prevailing in market. Thus, the qualitative approach was possible to understand the processes of exchange of product or service. Rural enterprises surveyed in the allocation of the agro-ecological products have the following scale of priority, sequentially: self-consumption (domestic), market and exchange. The research leads to the fact that training and practices that enhance the socio-political dimension (knowledge, empowerment, sense of belonging) become the guiding principle for the strengthening of the social management in the context of other dimensions, leading to gains sociopolitical, economic, organizational and environmental. Despite the weaknesses found in the organizational dimension and environment, both in a quantitative as in qualitative, we determined that the practices of ESS's Potiguar West incorporate predominantly elements of social management and economic solidarity, with a preponderance of substantive rationality in the primacy of the instrumental. Finally, research has brought information that the participants of the ESS's do not give the money economy primacy in determining social relations, which in turn leads to the confirmation that, in practice the solidarity economy, prevailing the dominance of substantive rationality, as a guide for organizational practices

As relações da tríplice hélice no setor da carcinicultura do Rio Grande do Norte: uma análise a partir das abordagens da imersão social e da dependência de recursos

This work consists in a study of the Shrimp Industry in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, whose central issue relates to the understanding of how the Triple Helix (University, Government and the productive sector) interrelationship limits or expands the industry s innovation process. The study aims to understand how the Triple Helix relationship interferes in the innovation process of shrimp in Rio Grande do Norte. As the knowledge becomes the resource key for production methods, the generation of new technologies, new products and processes which demands joint and integrated action of the institutions comprising the Triple Helix: University, Government and productive sector, which possess the essential resources to innovate the process and can be maximized from cooperative relationships between the referred Institutions. Thus, in this work, it was sharply used the pioneering studies of Sabato and Botana (1968) regarding the cooperation relationship between the scientific-technological sphere, the governmental and the productive base, and studies on the Triple Helix approach, proposed by Etzkowitz and Leydesdorff (2000), in which the university has a key role in the process of technological and innovative development of countries and regions, and under which it is assigned to the very University - the character of the entrepreneurial institution, through the concept of entrepreneurial University. Aiming to overcome the criticism of Cooke (2005), regarding the limitations of the Triple Helix approach, in this study it was used - as analytical perspectives - the perspective of social immersion (Granovetter, 1985, 2005) and the theory of resources dependence (PFEFFER; SALANCIK, 1978). The analytical perspectives presented in here, despite of the different assumptions, are essential to eliminate the bias that one only approach can lead (ASTLEY; VAN DE VEM; 2007). The authors arguments focus on the fact that the integration is possible if the researcher acknowledged that different perspectives may have different descriptions of the same phenomenon. As a research strategy, this study is characterized as a study case, along with the proposed objectives - the qualitative method was used as an approach and, depending on the gathering of the sector s historical, a sectional longitudinal view approach was applied (VIEIRA, 2004). The primary and secondary data were used in order to understand the sector s evolutionary process and its inter-institutional relations - regarding the shrimp culture in Rio Grande do Norte - to promote the development, as the content was used for the technical analysis (BARDIN, 1977). The approach of social immersion and resources addiction dependence made it possible to understand that relationships are established within and between each sphere (university, government and productive sector) characterizing a network of low density relationships and strongly internal and external dependence. Based on the speech of Etzkowitz and Mello (2006), a successful Triple Helix strategy of innovation requires not only the involvement and commitment of the parts, within the institutional sphere and among them, but also the development of mechanisms to coordinate the multiple and complex interactions and interfaces, focusing on promoting both environment and context for innovation and learning; it can be acknowledge from study results that the shrimp in the State of the RN, although there are several institutional mechanisms to promote greater integration and technological development, has been presented disjointed - both internally and between the spheres - and under no legitimate practice when facing the innovational promotion and integration institutions. Due to those factors, the central institutions of the network are crucial to the promotion of innovations, spreading through their direct contacts the importance factor of the sustainable competitive activity in the world market and on the national level. However, it may be concluded, from the data, that the Triple Helix relations are interfering in a negative way on what concerns the promotion of innovations in the shrimp industry in RN

Racionalidade substantiva no processo decisório: um estudo em instituições que lidam com o tratamento oncológico infantojuvenil na cidade de Natal-RN

The present study regards an applied social research (qualitative) performed in two institutions which lead children s cancer treatment in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte. The main goal of this study is, as of a literature review at works which characterizes the first generations of study about substantive rationality, to detect Decision Making process related aspects that may serve as a basis to elaborate analysis categories from decision making process, aggregating them into a new study that may provide an advance to the theme in administrative science. The academic works based on the analysis model created by Mauricio Serva served as a basis to deep research into such theme, which verifies the predominant rationality in eleven administrative internal processes in productive organizations. This dissertation intends to go beyond the identification of the predominant rationality by elaborating new categories of analysis, and making possible the continuity of the subject in administrative science. Based on Guerreiro Ramos s work, which sees a kind of ideal organization, as known as isonomies, this study still calls upon Karl Polanyi s thoughts, which with the objective of comprehending the independent economic phenomenon of the value that allows considering non-market economies, find that the economy of the men is submerged in his social relations; it also rescues the studies from Max Weber who investigates the meaning of social action to better understand the rationality, and refers to the study of Jürgen Habermas, who proposes a broader conception about rationality, within the theory of communicative action. As a result of this theme s review, seven analysis categories of the decision making process have been formulated. They were applied in the institutions that had been chosen and helped to detect the type of predominant rationality in the categories of the decision making process. The results confirm that, although the decisions making process involves rational elements, such as information, identification of alternatives, there are also specific values of each individual with his experience and view oh the world, permeated not only by instrumental rationality, but also by substantive rationality. The study has verified that two similar institutions may show different types of rationality in the decision making process, when decision factors may tend to instrumental rationality, according to administration classic way, as well as they may emerge from substantive rationality, thus contributing to the process of emancipation of the human being in his sphere of work

kàjré: a vida social de uma machadinha krahô

This paper proposes to analyse a situation of social drama involving the Krahô Indians (classified in ethnology as belonging to Jê-Timbira group) and the Museu Paulista of the Universidade de São Paulo, which we can classify as two distinct social fields. The understanding of the drama is conveyed through an examination of each of these fields and the coming together of both on the basis of the positions taken up, within the network of relationships established during the social process, by actors representing both the Krahô field and what we may call here the academic-administrative field. A multi-sited ethnographic approach is adopted, seeking the complexity of the drama and the positions in the aforementioned network, taking into consideration institutional political projects, personal projects and personal trajectories within a historical perspective. The aim is to encourage discussion of the relationship between the formation of the historical-scientific and ethnographic museums and the practices of the anthropological discipline, as well as the social role of these institutions and the processes of signification of objects belonging to the indigenous material culture

Inserção da informática nos cursos de Arquitetura e Urbanismo do Brasil (1994 2006): diagnósticos, rebatimentos e perspectivas nas Instituições Federais de Ensino Superior do Nordeste: UFRN, UFPB e UFPE

This work supports the formalist education s improvement of the Brazilian architect and urban designer through a better application and systematization of the computer science s teaching potentialities. The research analyzes the discipline introduction in the Brazilian courses: Computer Science Applied to Architecture and Urbanism (InfoAU) in the Architecture and Urbanism Courses of Brazil (CAUs). It goes since the discipline was obligated by the MEC s Regulation nr. 1.770 from 1994 until the CNE/CES Resolution nr. 6 from 2006; it comprehends the discipline implantation, development and current context, in order to get more detailed, the research analyses three federal universities from the Northeast of the country: UFRN, UFPB and UFPE. Once identified the historical educational needs in the CAUs, the study focus on the computer science s increasing potential as an agent of integration, communication, development and knowledge/data management. It points out new social perspectives for a better use of this tool/mechanism, which adequately structuralized and integrated, creates propitious educational and professional performance/recycling conditions and a propeller instrument of research and extension activities. Among this work, it is suggested the aggregation of elements, which are complementary to the InfoAU discipline s reorganization, throughout a computerization s plan for the CAUs, extensive to the professional formation, generating a virtuous cycle in several activities of the academic, administrative and, research and extension s departments. Therefore, the InfoAU in the Brazilian CAUs context was analyzed; the main solutions and problems found were systemized; the possibilities of computer science s uses inside AU ware structuralized, InfoAU discipline s improvement plan was also defined, as well as strategies for the implementation of the computerization s plan for the CAUs, which would guarantee its maintenance in a continuity perspective

Do lixo à solidariedade : avanços e perspectivas na busca de uma nova realidade

The dissertating study about the solidarity economy has the objective to analyze the four unions responsible for the selective municipal garbage collection in Natal. It aims at verifying the consolidation of these unions as solidarity economic undertakings, revealing which progresses they have made, as well as the social and economic insertion of the garbage collectors and their process of conquering citizenship. The referred four unions had been founded and are constituted, in their majority, by collectors coming from the Cidade Nova lixão (big garbage). As it was closed in August 2004, they decided to make a union in order to collecting garbage. As what concerns the methodic and theoretic proceedings, our research has been developed with a critical perspective and a qualitative approach without discarding and quantitative one. The central analytical categories of this paper are: association, work, social exclusion and citizenship. Our research has had three articulated axis which aim was to apprehend the subject, disclosing it. The exposition of the investigative results is subdivided in four chapters. The first one approaches the main aspects of the crisis of the capital and its reflexes in the world of work. Here we deal with the question the structural unemployment coming as a result of the present economic model, the mains changes verified in the Brazilian work market, as well as levels of unemployment affecting the work market in Natal s metropolitan region. The second chapter treats of the origin, concept and revival in Brazil concerning the tradition of thought and cooperative economic organization, which has recovered the central elements of the associative thought and is nowadays studied in Latin America under the name of solidarity economy. The third chapter deals with embodiment of the collectors unions, its history, appearing and development of each union. The fourth chapter presents the relative dimensions of the analysis categories supported in the reports of institutional actors as well as the perception collectors have about the recyclable stuffs, the way they face the daily life and so on, what brings about the contradictions present in their reality. The final comments sum up the main trends and particularities of the unions researched under the light of the solidarity economy and disclose the real perspectives of social and economic insertion of these collectors and the process they follow to conquest social recognition

Implementação da política de assistência social em Mossoró/RN : uma avaliação a partir dos centros de referência da assistência social

The current National Policy for Social Assistance (PNAS) is the instrument that regulates the organization and procedures of social-welfare actions. Developed and approved in 2004 since the Unified Social Assistance System (ITS) was crated in 2003, it reaffirms the democratic principles of the Social Assistance Organic Law (LOAS) focusing on the universalization of social rights and equality of rights when accessing the social-welfare system. In the SUAS point of view, the PNAS highlights the information, monitoring and evaluation fields for being the best way to assure the regulation, organization and control by the Federal Government paying attention to the principles of decentralization and participation. This political-institutional rearrangement occurs through the pact among all the three federal entities. The pact deals with the implementation of the task. It says that it has to be shared between the federal autonomous entities, established by dividing responsibilities. To the cities, considered as the smallest territorial unit of the federation and closer to the population, was given the primary responsibility, which is to feed and maintain the database of SUAS NETWORK and identify families living in situations of social vulnerability. In addition to these responsibilities, the cities that have full autonomy in the management of their actions, have the responsibility to organize the basic social protection and the special social protection, that using the Center of Social Assistance Reference (CRAS) and the Center of Specialized Social Assistance Reference (CREAS), are responsible for the provision of programs, projects and services that strengthen the family and community; that promote people who are able to enjoy the benefits of the Continuing benefit of Provisions (BPC) and transfer of incomes; that hold the infringed rights on its territory; that maximize the protective role of families and strengthen its users organization. In Mossoró/RN, city classified as autonomous in the social assistance management, has five units of CRAS that, for being public utilities, are considered the main units of basic social protection, since they are responsible for the connection between the other institutions that compose the network of local social protection. Also known as Family House, the CRAS, among other programs and services, offers the Integral Attention to Families Program (PAIF), Juvenile ProJovem Program, socio-educational coexistence services programs, as well as sending people to other public policies and social-welfare services network, provides information, among others. In this large field, social workers are highlighted as keys to implement the policy of social assistance within the city, followed by psychologists and educators. They should be effective public employees, as a solution to ensure that the provision of the services are to be continued, provided to the population living around the units. However, what we can find here is inattention to the standard rules of social assistance, which not only undermines the quality of programs and services, but also the consolidation of policy on welfare as public policy of social rights

EMPRESAS DA CONSTRUÇÃO CIVIL DO MUNICÍPIO DE ARACAJU-SE: Percepções sobre Responsabilidade Social Empresarial

The companies are part of an important segment of the society, besides, it exercises a significant contribution, being also responsible for helping in the improvement of the quality of life of the population. Like this being, to present research looked for to investigate the perception that the entrepreneurs of the building site of Aracaju/SE have concerning the theme Business Social Responsibility (RSE). besides the perceptions, it was part also of the research, to know the entrepreneur's of the building site social construction and the possible practices of Social Responsibility. The research grew in two different moments. The first looked for the theoretical embasamento, trying to study the economical sociology, understanding the effects provoked by the economy, understanding to you reason them that you/they took to the appearance of the perceptions that you/they permeate the historicity among the market, the nascedouro of the associations as company and his/her dynamics in the society. It was also researched, the concept of social responsibility in national and local extent, as well as, the contextualização of the state of Sergipe, detaching the municipal district of Aracaju, and describing how it happened his/her development starting from what is considered urbanization. In the second moment, the accomplishment of interviews in five companies, allowed to notice the entrepreneurs' perception concerning business social responsibility, as well as, actions of different characteristics in four of the samples. In these actions, they are patronage in cultural events, donations of projects for charity institutions, the concern with the preservation of the environment in the use of work materials ecologically correct, preventive health and employees' training. Concluding the research, I introduce the conclusions which it allowed to arrive me, and I point some suggestions for future researches that enlarge the reflection on this theme

Democracia Possível: espaços institucionais, participação social e cultura política

The present study aims at making a theoretically reflection about the reconstruction process of democracy that can be observed in the country since the opening political process, which took place with the Geisel´s government in 1974, passing through the first civil president, in 1985, the Constitution process, in 1986, and finally the Constitution promulgation in 1988. It interests to this study analyses the premise that the 1988 Constitution inaugurates the moment in which democracy starts to be reconstructed in the country, and that this reconstruction is made in such a brand new way, once it included the possibility of participation of the civil society in the deliberation of the public politics, what became possible with the creation of new spaces of a gestion shared by the three executive powers: federal; states; municipalities, and with the civil society, in the councils created in those spheres. In this way, this work wishes to focus the opening process to the civil society participation, wich became possible with the creation of the city councils of public politics. It´s about investigating the form in wich the relations set up in these hibrid spaces could be considered democratic, inclusive and promoters of effective participation, checking up tendencies, giving emphasis to regularities and some specifities encountered in the forms of participation, which have been observed in those councils. In order to comprehend the democratic process in construction in the country, the analysis of the relations established by the civil society and the local executive power in the obligatory municipal councils is taken as object of study, passing by the tensions wich evolves institutions and political practices, permeated by the local political culture. It starts from a briefly review of works already made on the subject

A trajetória dos movimentos socioambientais em Sergipe : personagens, instituições e estratégias de comunicação

The research aimed to study the emergence, role, and the possibilities of environmental movements in Sergipe, running through an analysis of the period between 1983 and 2011. This goal has been guided by the core issue of research, which was to analyze the relationship between the mission, structure and action of environmental organizations in Sergipe. The research arose from the need to map and critically evaluate the environmental movement in Sergipe. The methodological procedures focused on the literature search, survey papers in Sergipe a time gap of 28 years, detailed analysis of nine "movements" and selected in-depth interviews, semi-structured interviews with dozens of social actors involved in the area. In conclusion, we observed that environmentalism in Sergipe, from its inception, was associated with recovery of consciousness regarding the environment, to combat local problems of degradation, and the search for legitimacy of public opinion. Although the environmental movement have been, at times, the attention of mass media, the movement failed to leave the niche and achieve a more representative portion of society. You can still see the deep relationship between the profile of environmental leaders, capital strength and the practical results of the environmental actions and finally, it was observed that the action of the movements has much stronger bond with the relationship of the organization and its main leaders with the other "environmentalist," than with the structure and mission of the institution

Os empoderados da agricultura familiar: capital social nos territórios do seridó e do sertão do Apodi/RN

The study of social practices aims to overcome the theoretical dichotomies that insist on separating the individual from the social structures and vice versa. In this sense, the debate between objectivism and subjectivism in the construction of social reality still has occupied much time and reflection of various scholars of the humanities. Pierre Bourdieu has extensive work that seeks to advance in relation to the theoretical framework of traditional sociological explanations. Bourdieu`s approach regarding social practices is considered by some researchers as a synthesis of classical theories and by others as an attempt of complexify contemporary studies on the significance of social life. This thesis sharesthis effort to understand the social practices of agents, aiming to analyze the strategies of social and political leaders of family farming in the territories of Seridó and Apodi in Rio Grande do Norte, and it has as reference the theoretical and methodological concepts of habitus, field and capital, in Bourdieu. Therefore, we studied the trajectories of social leaders, here called agents as family farming in the two locations in Rio Grande do Norte. As techniques and procedures of the study, we resortedto semi-structured interviews, observations, participation in events and other researches. In conclusion, this thesis gives an account of the construction of two different relational fields for the activities of agents of family farming in the territories of Seridó and Apodi. Although the relational fields in the territories have been structured under the same prevailing institutions, which are: church, union and political party, the social practice of agents shows itself from social position and political variety. Even with the similarities and differences identified and analyzed in different fields of construction, the social relations of the agents in the territories result in the construction of gated communities, the social capital that is the substrate which the agents called empowered .

Responsabilidade civil como função social na distribuição e revenda de combustível face ao direito do consumidor e ao meio ambiente

The civil liability of the distribution and retail fuel stems from the fact business activity developed to be high risk and can be said as risk inherent or latent danger that has predictability and normality characterized by placing the consumer in a position of vulnerability, such as the environment, both public policies defined and constitutional protection. Consumer protection as a fundamental right and the environment as the primacy of social order aims the welfare and social justice, as inserted right to the third dimension, are guarded by the State when it creates operational standards through public policies and indirectly intervenes in the economic order. This intervention is due to consumer protection and the environment are economic order principles, founded on free initiative and free competition, ensuring everyone a dignified existence which underlies the irradiation of fundamental rights in private initiative, before the commercial evaluation, mass consumption, the emergence of new technologies that link consumers to the environment before the protection of life, health and safety and ensuring a better quality of life for present and future generations. To repair this damage and the right to information are provided as fundamental rights that put the person at the epicenter of the relations and collective interest stands out against individual interests that to be done need public-private partnership. In such a way that the used methodology was an analysis of documents correlating them with bibliographic sources whose goals are to recognize the civil responsibility as limit to subjective right, having to develop a social function where guilt and risk grow distant and the damage is configured as a consequence of inherent risk, requiring the State interventional postures in fulfilling its public policy; prevailing in these risky activities the solidarity of those involved in the chain of production and socialization of damage forward those are provided directly of products of hazardous nature that put in a position of vulnerability the environment and the consumer

Instituições, agricultura familiar e crédito rural: avaliação de resultados do Pronaf B nos territórios rurais do Rio Grande do Norte

Broadly anchored on Institutionalist literature this dissertation seeks to answer: Why rural credit granted to farming families in Rio Grande do Norte, Pronaf group B, has shown positive results in some territories while in others the same results are insatisfactory? Considering formal rules are the same, then why such results are so distinguished? This research supports the fact that these results are a direct consequence of the quality of institutions defined as longstanding social rules established and built in social interactions. For institutions one understands; organizational structures, formal and non-formal rules, social trust, thinking behaviors and its evolution as well as routines. Using Pronaf Rural Credit as a background this study measures and compares results obtained in the rural areas of Seridó, Sertão do Apodi, Mato Grande, Assú-Mossoró, Trairi, Potengi and Alto Oeste. The dimensions of measurement considered were: economics, social and guarantee of transparency. The study considers a sample of 402 Group B farming families. It also elaborates a socio-economic profile of these families in the considered areas and underlines the main causes for defaulted loans, difficulties to improve family income and results of access to Pronaf B credit line, as well as it proposes solutions to surpass obstacles to improve the efficiency of this credit line

Praxiologia, representação social de menopausa e práticas educativas de enfermeiras na estratégia saúde da família

This research, whose theme is related to climacteric, aims to know the social representation of menopause developed by the nurses working for Estratégia Saúde da Família (Family Health Strategy) in João Pessoa PB, as well as identifying its structure and verifying the way it interferes with the assistance and educational practices to the climacterial user. In the theoretical level, it is based on a model that articulates the social representations theory, the central nucleus complementary theory and the central concepts of Pierre Bourdieu s praxiology: habitus, cultural capital, social field and symbolic power. A hundred and forty-seven female nurses who work for Estratégia Saúde da Família (Family Health Strategy) in João Pessoa (PB) took part in this research, and the data collection period was from February 2008 to March 2009. As to the methods and techniques, we used the method to determine the central nucleus based on the free association of words, a questionnaire to identify certain regularities that constitute the nurses habitus, and the semi-structured interview to explore opinions and attitudes when facing assistance situations and educational practices and to collect other relevant information. The data analysis was developed, when referring to the free associations, with the help of the EVOC software, which is a group of articulated programs which carry out the statistical analysis of the evocations and the identification of the possible elements of both the central nucleus and the peripheral system of the social representation. As to the questionnaire, we used the descriptive statistical analysis and the analysis of correlation between the variables. The interviews were submitted to a categorical analysis of the content. The EVOC result indicated that the cognition hormone was the only element of the central nucleus of the social representation of menopause. Due to its symbolic value and structuring power, this central nucleus ensures the strict and, at the same time, flexible character of the representational content. The analysis of the social advancement, of some fundamental features of the group habitus, as well as the analysis of its insertion in the health field and of the attitudinal opinions and dispositions concerning the assistance given to the climacterial user, and the analysis of the pedagogical dimension of this assistance, all these analyses lead to the conclusion that the nurses who took part in this research share a social representation of the menopause resulting from the association of different technical and scientific knowledge. These derive from the biomedical pattern as well as from hegemonic values which disqualify old age and overvalue youth, from pedagogical conceptions arising from patterns that are presently regarded as authoritative and old-fashioned and from cultural references (responsible for the semantic variations concerning the central nucleus) which are specific to the subgroups the nurses belong to. This research enables the creation of opportunities for discussion between active nurses working for Estratégia Saúde da Família, and the nurses who are teachers at institutions of higher education, aiming at linking theory to practice, so that they can find ways of thinking about the climacteric and working, in a more comprehensive way, with users who are experiencing this stage of life