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10. Dialogue, information, and psychosocial organization

The Transformative Power of Dialogue

ISBN: 978-0-76230-904-7, eISBN: 978-1-84950-165-1

Publication date: 9 October 2002

Abstract

Following a distinction between verbal dialogue and socioaffective dialogue, this chapter shows how psychosocial organization is generated by the socioaffective aspects of communication. Verbal dialogue (based on language and symbols), is shown to fit with Shannon's (1949) concept of information, reduction in uncertainty, and socioaffective dialogue (based on the arousal and regulation of affective energy) to fit with Gabor's (1946) concept, minimum of uncertainty. An empirically-based theory of communication (Bradley & Pribram, 1997, 1998), that applies Gabor's concept, views the interaction between affective energy and social control as an information processing system. When optimally organized as socioaffective dialogue, the interaction gathers and communicates holographic-like descriptions of endogenous organization throughout a social unit to in-form (give shape to) collective organization. However, both verbal and socioaffective aspects of interaction are required for optimal communication-the former processes the cognitive elements, while the latter processes the configural aspects of social life.

Citation

Bradley, R.T. (2002), "10. Dialogue, information, and psychosocial organization", Roberts, N.C. (Ed.) The Transformative Power of Dialogue (Research in Public Policy Analysis and Management, Vol. 12), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 243-288. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0732-1317(02)12012-4

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2002, Emerald Group Publishing Limited