índice da tese (proposto)

Part 1: Theoretical approach

1. Status quaestionis
1.1 Research done in Portugal
1.2 Conceptual representations of God
1.3 Factors related to or predictive of God representations
1.4 Development of God representations
1.5 Dechristianization theories
1.6 Individualization theories

2. Social representations theory
2.1 Anthropological and epistemological options of social representations theory
2.2 Sociocognitive processes and formation of social representations
2.3 Internal structure of social representations
2.4 Methodologies

3. Theological dimensions
3.1 Faith in God: biblical perspective
3.2 Relation and nexus between fides qua and fides quae
3.3 Trinitarian and ecclesiological structure of faith act
3.4 Faith in God and orthopraxis

Part 2: Believing in God: empirical perspective

4. Research design
4.1 Design issues and options
4.2 Description of instruments
4.3 The option for multilevel triangulation

5. Results of empirical research and empirical-theological data analysis
5.1 Description of the research population
5.2 Identification of the different social representations
5.3 Internal structure of the social representations
5.4 Anchorage processes
5.5 Objectivation processes
5.6 Correlations between biographic variables and social representations
5.7 Explanation of the social representations
5.8 Explanation of cognitive polyphasia
5.9 Explanation of mute zone of social representation

Part 3: Believing in God: Theological perspective

6. Discussion of the research findings
6.1 Theological interpretation
6.2 Theological reflection

7. Pastoral and research challenges
7.1 Pastoral challenges posed by the research results
7.2 Open questions in need of further research