Intersubjectivity facts for kids

In philosophy, psychology, and sociology, intersubjectivity is about how people's ways of thinking and seeing the world connect or overlap. It's about understanding how we share ideas and experiences with others.

What is Intersubjectivity?

Intersubjectivity is a term social scientists use to describe different ways humans interact and understand each other. It's like when people share thoughts or feelings.

For example, some experts say intersubjectivity can mean:

• When people agree on what something means.
• When people know if they agree or disagree, or if they understand each other.
• When people guess what others are thinking or feeling.
• How people naturally act around others without even thinking about it.
• How people perform together in a situation.
• Shared ideas or beliefs that people just assume are true, whether they agree or not.
• All the different ways people's viewpoints can connect.

Sometimes, intersubjectivity simply means agreement. If people have intersubjectivity, they agree on meanings or see a situation the same way. For instance, if you and your friend both think a movie is amazing, you share that view. Expert Thomas Scheff says it's "the sharing of subjective states by two or more individuals."

It can also mean the shared, common-sense ideas that people create when they interact. These ideas help them understand social and cultural life every day. If people share common sense, they understand situations in a similar way.

Interestingly, intersubjectivity can also describe shared differences in meaning. For example, when someone tells a lie, they are involved in an intersubjective act. They are working with two different ideas of what is true. The person telling the lie knows one thing, and they want the other person to believe something else. This shows how intersubjectivity can happen even when people don't fully agree.

Many thinkers have explored this idea. Some early ones in psychology included Jacques Lacan and Jessica Benjamin. The philosopher Edmund Husserl was one of the first to really develop the term.

Intersubjectivity in Philosophy

In philosophy, intersubjectivity is a very important topic. It's not just about how people relate to each other. It also helps us understand what is true and even what makes things "real" or "objective."

One big question in philosophy is the "problem of other minds." This asks how we can be sure that other people have minds and thoughts like our own. It also asks how we can predict what others might think or do. Theories about intersubjectivity try to answer these questions.

Some thinkers believe that our thoughts are not just personal or universal. Instead, they suggest that we belong to "thought communities." These are groups of people who share similar beliefs. Examples include churches, professions, or even generations. This idea helps explain why people think differently. For example, one person might always follow food expiry dates, while another might believe they are just guidelines.

Intersubjectivity suggests that each thought community has different shared experiences. These experiences shape the beliefs of the group. So, our personal beliefs often come from the ideas of our thought communities, not just from our own experiences.

Intersubjectivity and Phenomenology

Edmund Husserl, who started a way of thinking called phenomenology, wrote a lot about intersubjectivity. He believed it was very important.

Husserl's student, Edith Stein, also wrote about intersubjectivity. She connected it to the idea of empathy, which is our ability to understand and share the feelings of others.

Intersubjectivity also helps create "objectivity." When we experience the world, we know that others can experience it too. This creates a link between what is personal to us and what is shared by everyone.

Intersubjectivity in Psychology

In psychology, intersubjectivity is key to understanding how we think about others and how our minds work. There are three main ideas about it: theory theory, simulation theory, and interaction theory.

• Theory Theory: This idea says we understand others by using "folk psychological theories." These are like simple rules we have about how people's thoughts and feelings lead to their actions. We guess what someone is thinking based on their behavior, then use our "rules" to predict what they'll do next.

• Simulation Theory: This idea suggests we understand others by "putting ourselves in their shoes." We imagine what we would think or feel if we were in their situation. Then, we use our own mind as a model to predict what they might do. For example, if your friend looks sad, you might think about a time you felt sad to understand them better.

• Interaction Theory: This idea focuses on how we understand others through direct interaction. It says that social understanding happens when people actively engage with each other. For example, when you walk a dog, both you and the dog adjust your behavior based on what the other does. This back-and-forth interaction helps you understand each other.

Studies on how we use language also show how deeply intersubjective it is. When we talk, we always think about the person we are speaking to. We try to understand their point of view. Recent research on mirror neurons (brain cells that activate when we do an action or see someone else do it) also supports the idea that human psychology is deeply intersubjective. Much of what we know about empathy and how we understand others' minds is linked to intersubjectivity.

Intersubjectivity in Child Development

Experts like Colwyn Trevarthen have studied how intersubjectivity helps babies develop very quickly. Research shows that babies are born ready to "coordinate their actions with others." This ability to connect with others helps them learn new things emotionally and mentally through social interaction.

The best way for children and adults to learn together is when both sides actively shape their shared culture. This means both the child and the adult decide what is important to focus on. This idea highlights that children are active participants in their own learning, using intersubjectivity.

Intersubjectivity Across Cultures

The way intersubjectivity happens can be different in various cultures. In some Indigenous American communities, people use a lot of nonverbal communication. This means they might understand each other without speaking much. This could be because they have a "joint cultural understanding" and a history of working together.

This shared understanding might develop in small communities where children grow up deeply connected to their community's values. They learn by joining in with adults, rather than just being told what to do. This can lead to a "blending of agendas," where community members have similar goals. This helps intersubjectivity happen when they work together.

The cultural value of respeto (a mutual consideration for others' activities and needs) can also help intersubjectivity in some communities. Like "putting yourself in another's shoes," respeto encourages people to act in ways that consider the needs of the community or another person.

Sharing a common focus during an activity also helps learning. Adults might teach by doing a task with children or by pointing out experts. In some communities, like the Tz'utujil Maya, children who asked too many questions were sometimes told off. This was because they were expected to learn by watching others, as if they should use their "eyes" to understand.

For example, children from the Chillihuani village in the Andean mountains learned to weave without being directly taught. They watched adults and were allowed to play and try out tools. This helped them create their own weaving techniques and become part of their community.

See also

In Spanish: Intersubjetividad para niños

• Intersubjective verifiability
• Intersubjective psychoanalysis
• Intertextuality
• Perspectivism