Values Define Fields: The Intentional Dynamics of Driving, Carrying, Leading, Negotiating, and Conversing

Abstract

What is the relation between ecological, social, and cognitive psychology? The thesis described and illustrated in this article is that a psychology of values (e.g., Hodges & Baron, 1992) provides the basis for prospecting an ecological psychology that is more sensitive to the social and moral dimensions of action, and for developing a social psychology that is more ecological and embodied. This social-ecological, values-realizing psychology may provide new insights into issues that are viewed as cognitive (e.g., language) as well. First, ecological studies of driving (e.g., Gibson & Crooks, 1938) and carrying (Hodges & Lindhiem, 2006) are reviewed to illustrate a values-realizing approach to psychology and to evaluate whether social and moral constraints are intrusions or intrinsic constraints. Second, in the social domain Asch's (1956) studies of social influence and perception are reframed in terms of leading and following, requiring the coordination of multiple values and multiple relationships. Third, more ecological and social approaches to language studies are considered, with a focus on embodied activity and the inadequacy of rule-based accounts. It is proposed that central functions of language are seeking good prospects, caring, and wayfinding. More generally, caring emerges as a central theme and a crucial context for activities as diverse as driving, carrying, conversing, and negotiating disagreements.