Semiotic Methodology For The Analysis Of The Cultural And Individual Dynamics Of Social Representations: A View From Cultural Psychology

Abstract

This paper presents a view of semiotics that provides some theoretical elements for bridging

some of the gaps between post-Vygotskian cultural psychology and social representation

theory. This is done, firstly, through an exploration into the concept of ‘representation’ and,

then, by exploring how semiotic action (semiosis) is able to produce signs of increased

complexity which ultimately result in representations capable of supporting and

communicating shared views of the world within a cultural community. A semiotic model of

the shaping of social representations and some methodological procedures borrowed from

semiotics are suggested as tools for the formal description and explanation of both personal

experiences and social representations.