Social Merchandising as an Intervention Strategy in Metacontingencies: Analysis of a Work of Television Fiction about the Control of Human Trafficking in Brazil

ABSTRACT

Behavior-analytic studies of cultural phenomena can contribute to cultural planning by using strategies such as social merchandising. The goal of this research was to analyze metacontingencies based on a social theme of great impact - human trafficking - in a Brazilian soap opera (Salve Jorge) with a large audience. Scenes related to the theme were described in terms of contingencies, classified in seven metacontingencies, which were presented in high frequency throughout the chapters. The impact of the soap opera was observed in the increased frequency of news about human trafficking in six newspapers as well as complaints registered in the periods before, simultaneous and after the exhibition of Salve Jorge. The news is indicative of the positive effect of a work of fiction on the recognition and definition of “human trafficking”, which also contributes to a higher frequency of complaints and interventions implemented by competent agencies.

KEYWORDS:
metacontingency; social merchandising; human trafficking; cultural practices; soap opera