Emergence of Meaning Amidst a Tension Between Forms and Contents.

Abstract

In this paper, I propose an analysis of the tension between forms and contents as a condition of emergence of meaning. I refer to Vygotsky's earlier work "Psychology of Art" as an inspiration, to develop my own model. This leads me to present an analysis of how forms overcome contents in a monological way, but also in a dialogical perspective. I also present two windows of emergence capturing the dynamics occurring in the temporal boundary before the stabilization of a new form (what happens between the form deconstruction and the emergence of a new form). I apply it to how elders experienced the pandemic and its aftermath, using the analysis of discourse of elders participating in a group-intervention and in an action-research project. This enables me to partially respond to some of the challenges identified by Greve (2023, this Special Issue) -an author I was asked to comment-, but also to go beyond his propositions.