The Use of Symbolic Resources in Developmental Transitions

By T. Zittoun, G. Duveen, Alex Gillespie, G. Ivinson, Charis Psaltis. 2003

192 citations recorded by the source corpus.

This paper introduces the idea of symbolic resources as the use of cultural elements to mediate the representational work occasioned by ruptures or discontinuities in the smooth experience of ordinary life, moments when the ‘taken-for-granted’ meanings cease to be taken for granted. In particular we are concerned with the use of symbolic resources in moments of developmental transitions, that is, the mobilization of symbolic elements ranging from shared bodies of knowledge or argumentative strategies to movies, magazines or art pieces. The paper begins with a brief theoretical sketch of these ideas, and then presents three case studies, each of which involves the use of a different type of symbolic resource within a particular age group. In the first, children are observed in interaction with a peer about a conservation problem. In the second, adolescents are observed negotiating the meaning of their art productions with their peers, teachers and parents. The third example looks at Western tourists searching for spirituality, adventure and freedom in Ladakh as an alternative to the materialism of modernity. In each case the analysis of the symbolic resources employed indicates the significance of the gaze of the other in the construction of meanings, and of the various constraints operating within specific situations. The analysis also reveals different modes of use of symbolic resources, linked to changing forms of reflectivity.

Subfields: General Health Professions, Social Psychology, Sociology and Political Science

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/d21ac6e9b168bf1aa96da43afa0239029e3c900c

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In General Health Professions

1. V. Glăveanu
2. Anne-Nelly Perret-Clermont
3. Charis Psaltis
4. G. Duveen

In Social Psychology

1. V. Glăveanu
2. Anne-Nelly Perret-Clermont
3. Charis Psaltis
4. G. Duveen

In Sociology and Political Science

1. V. Glăveanu

Citations in the corpus

• Paradigms in the study of creativity: Introducing the perspective of cultural psychology (2010, background): “resort to symbolic resources to elaborate meaning and externalize the outcome (Zittoun et al., 2003; Zittoun, 2007b).”
• Symbolic resources and responsibility in transitions (2007, background): “These processes, which aim at reducing uncertainty, can be called processes of transitions (Zittoun et al., 2003).”
• The Social and the Psychological: Structure and Context in Intellectual Development (2009, background): “As the child develops, we can observe changing forms of reflexivity, from the non-reflective use exhibited by children, through becoming-reflective among adolescents, to reflective uses by adults [Martin, Sokol, & Elfers, 2008; Zittoun et al., 2003].”