The processes of meaning making, starting from the morphogenetic theories of René Thom

Abstract

Each process of meaning making can be seen as a field of semiotic organization that shows a variety of continuities and discontinuities, rather than as a linear trajectory of accumulated signs, progressively articulated through syntagmatic chains. In this work, we address the idea that the sign is a discontinuous form within a field; it emerges where there are different trajectories of meaning, different epistemic positions, and different subjective or affective ways of experiencing a phenomenon. The central aspect of the paper is based on the idea that the sign is a form within a semiotic relational system that allows its emergence towards a ‘‘morphogenetic field of semiosis’’. The starting point for this discussion is the philosophical, mathematical and semiotic work of Re`ne Thom, which addressed the relationship between continuity and discontinuity in natural human, social, and linguistic phenomena

Psychological functions of semiotic borders in sense-making: Liminality of narrative processes

“…The borders are peripheral spaces in contact with the otherness, the strangeness. The core of the semiotic system is characterized by gradual processes; in a topological sense ( De Luca Picione & Freda, 2016a ), the central parts of a semiotic system take longer to change and are more stable. Let us consider the normative values in people's lives, the ideologies, the established practices and the habits in attributing meaning that can all be slow in changing.…”

“…The continuity of sense on this side of the border presupposes the discontinuity of sense beyond the border and vice versa . In order to be performed narrative processes require an innovative, contingent and contextual configuration that not only marks the breaking of continuity but also a reconfiguration of the old in a new gestalt subject/world/otherness projecting into the future ( De Luca Picione, 2015b ; De Luca Picione & Freda, 2014 , 2016a ).…”

“…The plastic and dynamic structure of the border provides the foundation for narrative-based processes of sensemaking of one’s own experience by defining the context, positioning and pertinence. As structure tending towards a dynamic balance, the border is in constant tension between stability and change ( De Luca Picione & Freda, 2016a ). The psychological implication of this semiotic dynamic is relevant ( Tateo, 2013 , 2015 ).…”

The Idiographic Approach in Psychological Research. The Challenge of Overcoming Old Distinctions Without Risking to Homogenize

“…This source of variability assumes a central position for studying the contextual dynamics of the case; in fact, it is about identifying the boundaries of the system's functioning (p. 20). On this basis, we emphasize the importance of the notions of threshold and trigger/block(De Luca Picione and Freda 2015)…”

Modal articulation: The psychological and semiotic functions of modalities in the sensemaking process

“…In the first part of this paper, we examine psychological and semiotic literature that refer to modality issues. In the second part, we present modal articulation as a primary sensemaking device (De Luca Picione & Freda, 2016a, 2016b, 2016c; De Luca Picione, Martino, & Freda, 2017) used to discretize the relationship between subject/other/world (Simão, 2003, 2005). We specifically discuss modal articulation taking into account three aspects: (a) the function of the connection that modal categories assume in the relationship between the primary affective matrix of the subject and the sensemaking process, (b) the function of mediation that modal categories assume in the relationship between subjectivity and relationality, and (c) the function of vectorialization that modal categories assume in the relationship between action and temporality.…”