Alterity and Identity Refusal: The Construction of the Image of the Crack User1

Abstract

The discourse disseminated in the media shows the user of crack as dependent or criminal. This study’s aim was to analyze the construction of otherness around the image of crack users. We interviewed 14 crack users in different places and the data were analyzed using Thematic Content Analysis. The participants’ reports suggest that the image of crack users is established based on alterity, in which the individual in this condition does not recognize him/herself. Thus, even though users contend that their actions are not determined by the standards provided by their interactional networks, hegemonic representations concerning their contexts of use attest that these activities concerning crack are just as they are perceived to be. Therefore, even though they have other experiences with the drug, these participants believe that the use of crack provides a destructive pleasure and impedes voluntary action.