Studia Filologiczne UJK

Summary

The persuasive power of communication is carried out at three levels: symbol, image (wizerunek) and narration (narracja). This article is devoted to the image. The word wizerunek (image), present in the Polish language since the 16th century, was recognized in the middle of the 20th century for obsolete, but in the 21th century has become a fashionable word, especially in the social sciences and journalism, where it is used in the meaning close to the words: obraz (picture), stereotyp (stereotype), profil (profile), wyobrażenie (idea), portret (portrait), model (model), wzorzec (pattern), wygląd (appearance).
In the study of communication the word wizerunek (image) is usually used in two senses: 1) ‘tangible image of someone or something contained in the media; picture’ and 2) ‘mental image of someone or something in the social consciousness; reputation’. Wizerunek (image) in the first sense (as the media image) is usually studied by the content analysis of the media messages; wizerunek (image) in the second sense (as the social image) is usually tested by opinion polls. The social (public) image of countries, companies, individuals, etc. is an object of interest to both: to institutes of public opinion as well as to companies offering services in the field of public relations and marketing.
Wizerunek (image) as the term displaces lately the term stereotype: former national stereotypes are called now wizerunki narodów (national images); they are the main focus of imagology.