Representaciones Sociales y Narrativas sobre los Juegos de Azar en las percepciones de la comunidad tomasina de la Universidad Santo Tomás Villavicencio

Abstract

The purpose of this document is to understand how conversational narratives and social representations shape perceptions of gambling in the university community of the Villavicencio campus of Santo Tomás University. Based on a constructivist and qualitative narrative approach, the verbalizations of students, teachers, and administrators were analyzed to identify the meanings attributed to gambling, the narratives that legitimize it, and the cultural frameworks that sustain it. The results show that gambling is defined as a relative social practice: depending on the context, it can be defined as a form of entertainment or pastime, as a way to socialize, or, on the other hand, as a risky practice directly related to dependencies, thus affecting other areas of life. Similarly, it was observed that directly in the Tomasina community, the narrative about the practice of these games ranges from the normalization of gambling to its problematization, revealing how attitudes, values, and practices are affected within the educational context. The research contributes to a reflective analysis of how these discourses construct lifestyle and how the phenomenon of gambling is interpreted in university spaces.