From Feeling to Form and Back: A Process-Differentiation Framework for Integrating Embodied, Symbolic, and Narrative Meaning.
Matias Gay
Integrative psychological & behavioral science October 21, 2026 DOI: 10.1007/s12124-026-10047-8 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Keywords | Embodied cognition Interpretation Meaning construction Symbolic articulation Theoretical integration |
| Key points | Proposes a process-differentiation framework that distinguishes four analytically separate but potentially overlapping domains: embodied-affective orientation, implicit situational integration, symbolic articulation, and interpretive reconfiguration. Argues that narrative configuration should be treated as a form of interpretation rather than an additional stage, and that the framework supports integrative psychological inquiry without imposing a universal temporal sequence. Experimental findings from affect labeling and reappraisal are said to constrain specific propositions but not to validate the full framework. |
Abstract
Experiences can organize attention and action before they are readily explained, while articulation and later interpretation may alter what is noticed or felt. Psychology offers sophisticated but partly incompatible accounts of bodily affect, implicit experiencing, symbolization, and narrative meaning. This article develops a process-differentiation framework that compares four analytically distinct, potentially overlapping domains: embodied-affective orientation, implicit situational integration, symbolic articulation, and interpretive reconfiguration. Narrative configuration is treated as a form of interpretation, not an additional stage. The analysis is a purposive theoretical synthesis drawing on phenomenology, experiential process theory, emotion science, philosophy of symbolic forms, and narrative and psychotherapy research. Domains are compared by unit of analysis, function, medium, observational timescale, and evidentiary signature. Core affect and subcortical affective theories are treated as competing or complementary explanations rather than dismissed by definition. Experimental findings from affect labeling and reappraisal constrain specific propositions but do not validate the full framework. The proposed research program separates construct discrimination from the testing of possible cross-domain couplings, including their direction, timing, and contextual conditions. This approach aims to support integrative psychological inquiry without turning explanatory differences into a universal temporal sequence.
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