Semiotics mediation of "responsibility": a study on the construction of values in the transition to adulthood

Abstract

The construction of values is seen as an intensely dynamic process involving the internalization and externalization of collective meanings, as well as being fundamental to the construction of a personal synthesis. This article starts from the perspectives of Cultural Psychology and Dialogic Self Theory and proposes that "responsibility" can be understood as a value, as a semiotic affective field full of senses. A case study illustrates how a young woman (Jane) navigates on the collective culture and builds a new personal meaning itself as a "responsible person". The value of "responsibility" becomes progressively integrated into her personal values system through continuities and changes in her positions over time and in different spaces, specifically the family, work and religion. The results illustrate the dynamic transformation of positions over time and the emergence of new perspectives for the future.