Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 March 2009
Lie algebras endowed with an action by automorphisms of any of the symmetric groups S3 or S4 are considered, and their decomposition into a direct sum of irreducible modules for the given action is studied. In the case of S3-symmetry, the Lie algebras are coordinatized by some non-associative systems, which are termed generalized Malcev algebras, as they extend the classical Malcev algebras. These systems are endowed with a binary and a ternary product, and include both the Malcev algebras and the Jordan triple systems.