In the present study, an internal analysis of the Brazilian Association of Nursing (ABEn) was carried out in order to identify the representations of the members of the national and regional management departments of ABEn, regarding this association. The objective was to gather subsidies for the planning and implementation of a project aiming at institutional empowerment. The scenarios for data collection were the regional and national management departments, as well as all the members available from the each regional section and two members from the national office. Data collection was done through a form, which was answered by 15 sections during the period between 1997 and 2002. The analysis of the empirical data material was done in two ways. The first analysis was based on the Discourse of the Collective Subject-DCS, and the second through Institutional Analysis. The representations of the subjects interviewed could be identified, enabling the planning of marketing strategies for ABEn.
Brazilian Nursing Association; nursing associations; social representations