meaning making

It is the process for which the need for meaning is met.

Its a fundamental behavior of humans in order to create meaning of any phenomenological object that has a minimal conditioning effect over them.

meaning making to most of our environment is mostly emergent, a passive process by a repeated exposure to it. By experiencing the object we integrate what it is expected of it in the form of stimulus, sensations and perceptual abstractions.

meaning making is also done through conceptualization and its subsequent narrativization. narrativization of meaning is necessary for dealing with systems with high level of complexity (global events, social structures, technology...) that can't be understood purely from phenomenological reasoning.

When there is narrativization of meaning, very often, the narrative is so detached and outside the control of the subject's phenomenological experience that it becomes very fragile. This often translates into a narrativized identity.

meaning making does not require first principles reasoning, be based on any scientific understanding or knowledge, or have a direct correlation with reality it just needs to feel plausible enough by the subject.

It is not possible to not create meaning over an object. Not doing so means that the given object is surrounded by uncertainty therefore the subject can't relate and predict it.

E: A prehistoric human looking at the sky, at the sun, at the stars day and night, being completely at its mercy to orient itself, to survive its weather, to have water... It can't just go on without giving meaning to it, it needs an explanation for it. astrology, is the search for meaning in the sky.

The failure of meaning making can lead to depression, but even in a state of depression meaning is given to the overarching situation.

E: "I'm worthless" or "No one cares for me".

Most of the times we don't even think that we're giving meaning because of how normalized the experience with the object is. Also, we tend to be aware only about the narratives, but not the full minformation spectrum that conforms meaning.

E: A pen on a table may seem to not have meaning, but it does. We can have a high level of certainty for how is going to behave. We know is not going to fly, or move on its own, we know that is common for pens to be still on top of a table... If the pen was suspended in the air, moving around or planted in a pot we will start a trying to look for new meaning,meaning making.

Active meaning making is often motivated by fear, often in the form of worry.

Q: Is hope a last resort form of meaning making? Is it a form of narrativization of meaning and wishful reasoning product of desperation when no other form of meaning works?