Abstract
This study elaborates on the influence of newspaper headlines in the constitution of the social imaginary. It also shows the type of cognitive/emotional calculus that readers make by processing them. To this end, it considers the contribution that Journalism makes to the adaptive needs of the public. By examining a sample of 100 titles published in Folha de S.Paulo this study also identifies the ‘reflex and mirror images’ inferred by audiences from what is subliminally given in the headlines. It also shows the rationales applied in decoding this material and it tests the reception of 11 selected titles among 28 respondents. This study reveals that Journalism has a central role in consolidating the values of the public.
Keywords:
Headline; Utopia; Social Unconscious; Drive; Emotion
