Abstract
This paper explores proculturative semiotic dynamics underlying self-construction in emigration that reveals various forms of the self’s positioning through the processes of relating to the native and foreign socio-cultural environments. The self is conceptualised as the heterogeneous entirety of voices and self-related positions which are hierarchically organised. Hierarchical organisation implies the dominance of certain voices and I-positions at the expense of silencing others. Moreover, external societal voices promote hegemonic social representations which are represented as promoter I-positions/signs in the self-structures and have the power to regulate individuals’ mental activity. Therefore, it is argued that selves’ relations to the environment are not always symmetrically dialogical. The compelling power of hierarchically ordered external meaning systems that are conceptualised as “objective culture” is illustrated in the best manner when a person occurs in emigration where the native organisation of voices and I-positions is being semiotically ruptured due to the meeting with a foreign configuration of a hierarchy of external I-positions and gets “attacked” by alien promoter signs. External promoter voices and I-positions have the power to take the dominant position and establish asymmetric relations with other self-related elements. They can significantly influence intra-psychological negotiations by vocalising hegemonic social representations which exist in any community. The case study of a Georgian emigrant’s living in Germany vividly reveals the wave of self-transformations which she undergoes after the liberation from the pressure of native promoter signs and engagement with the German ones. Specific microgenetic experiences leading to the transformations at the ontogenetic level are highlighted. Symmetric and asymmetric forms of communication are conceived as particular instances of relating. This paper vividly reveals the significance of the exploration of the forms of dynamic relations between various components of the self and socio-cultural environment and entailing intra-psychic and external negotiations for better understanding of the nature of humans’ epigenetic development.
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Notes
For the detailed consideration of personal sense see Vygotsky 1994.
Which we conceptualize as a semiotic sign.
Please, do not confuse theoretical generalisation with statistical generalisation as the latter is not the purpose of this paper. The former is based on the abductive reasoning, whereas the latter is oriented on inductive generalisations ignoring internal inconsistencies in the group-level data which are inevitable in social sciences. Abductive reasoning reveals fundamental regularities based on investigating particular phenomena, while inductive quantitative studies are oriented on the quantification of the ontologized entities which are in fact developmental processes.
Nino explicitly (retrospectively) identified the significance of these positions while she was answering questions like: Who were you before emigration? How did you define yourself before emigration? What was important about yourself before emigrating abroad? Which roles and positions were specifically significant for you? Please, count and order based on their significance for you all roles which you held before emigration? She was asked to clarify and explain each of these questions.
This inference directly contradicts to the acculturation research traditions which consider so called “acculturative stress” and so, tension, as a negative outcome of emigration.
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Gamsakhurdia, V.L. Self-Construction in Immigration – I-Positioning through Tensional Dialogues to Powerful Foreign and Native Voices. Integr. psych. behav. 55, 445–469 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12124-021-09603-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12124-021-09603-1