Psychology

L. Chkhikvishvili

Personalization: Object, Behavior, Symbol

Traditionally researches offer empiric descriptions of aims, tools and ways of personalization. The author suggests a phenomenological vision of this process basing on concept of meaning, without going into the details of specific investigations. Any object is a sign in itself.

The first dimension of semantic space is constructed by past and \ or future intentions (it is a priory in a present time).

Coming from the fact that personalization is a self -extrapolation, it can manifest both emotional and cognitive aspects of self-conception. We presume that it creates the second vector of a marked semantic content. We conventionally call it affective- cognitive vector.

The third dimension, constructing a semantic volume, is an appearance of a personalized object, which could be on its tern conventional and\or archetypal, or something more individual (personal symbol).

The difference of suggested dimensions (vectors) from the similar ones used in the semantic differential is principal: they are not revealed in dichotomy but in ambivalence. So their meaning could be both punctual or lengthy and inclusive of whole length of vectors tying up their poles. Psychologically it is perceived as condensed multi-meaningfulness. Resulting model is three- dimensional.

The next characteristic of personalized object is its ability to be unique, renewable or replaceable, in other words its capacity of restoration. It also affects the subjective meaning, consequently the intensity of emotional reactions connected with personalized object.

And the last, if before only ideal and real personalization was indicated, now the author considers it necessary to add imitational personalization, when the applied object is real but at the same time is the tool of simulation of non- existing aspects of self.

 

D. Uznadze Institute of Psychology
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