Theories about meaning

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Here are academic theories about how we make sense of the world, inferring meaning.

General theories of understanding

• Attribution Theory: we need to attribute cause, that supports our ego.
• Constructivism: we use constructs as perceptual categories.
• Focusing effect: We pay more attention to some things than others.
• Framing: mental combinations that affect perception.
• Just-world phenomenon: Good and bad will be rewarded and punished.
• Objectification: we simplify complex things into concrete images.
• Personal Construct Theory: constructs that represent understanding.
• Schema: mental structure to organize and interpret the world.
• Social Representation Theory: special meaning of words to communicate in a group.
• Speech Act Theory: Speaking is acting. Meaning is context-dependent.
• Story Model: We piece together complex situations into stories to build understanding.
• Symbolic Interaction Theory: we derive meaning around symbols.

Specific theories about inferring meaning

• Attention: How we pay attention to things around us.
• Attribution: How we attribute cause.
• Belief: What and how we believe.
• Clustering Illusion: Seeing patterns where there are none.
• Discomfort: How we handle discomfort.
• Understanding others: How we make sense of other people.
• Understanding ourselves: How we perceive ourselves.

See also

Meaning, Learning Theory