Podcast TCCR - Cognosystemic Theory of Human Psychosocial Relational Construction

Podcast TCCR #018 - Toward a social science of human relationships – The future of Social Work with the TCCR

This episode concludes the series dedicated to the "Cognosystemic Theory of Human Psychosocial Relational Construction" (TCCR) with an invitation to look toward the future of Social Work through a critical, rigorous, and deeply transformative lens. What Fundamental Problem Gave Rise to the TCCR? The absence of a unified, discipline-specific theory has long been a major void in Social Work. This lack has limited its recognition as a science, its capacity to generate autonomous knowledge, and its ability to structurally impact social problems. The TCCR emerges as a radical and systematic response to this historic need. What Does the TCCR Propose? The TCCR is not merely a theory for intervention—it is a proposal for the epistemological refoundation of Social Work. It redefines: Its object of study: the relational psychosocial construction of human reality. Its method: narrative, cognitive, systemic, and situated. Its professional role: as a facilitator of symbolic, relational, and structural transformation. What Does It Mean to Conceive Social Work as a Social Science of Human Relationships? It means recognizing Social Work as an applied discipline specialized in understanding and intervening in the narrative and relational systems that shape human experience. This represents a shift from an assistential or technical outlook toward a scientific, ethical, and emancipatory practice. What Are the Distinctive Contributions of the TCCR? This episode revisits the core concepts developed by the theory: - Cognosystem - Cognosystemic narrative - Cognosystemic meme - Narrative frictions and hierarchies - Symbolic displacements It also highlights its transdisciplinary foundation, integrating phenomenology, hermeneutics, systems theory, narrative psychology, memetics, and the bioecological model into a coherent and original theoretical architecture. Where Is the TCCR Headed? The theory presents significant research challenges: it must be empirically validated as both an explanatory and operational framework. This involves developing tools to analyze, predict, and transform psychosocial dynamics through: Qualitative and quantitative methods. Narrative and computational methodologies. These approaches aim to examine symbolic trajectories, social crises, memetic shifts, and collective transformation processes. A Final Invitation This episode closes with an open call: Whether you are a professional, researcher, educator, or student, you can be an active part of this disciplinary transformation. The TCCR is not a theoretical endpoint—it is a starting point for a social science of human relationships with its own voice, ethical foundation, and scientific rigor. Listen and discover how the TCCR can radically renew the way we understand and practice Social Work in the contemporary world. Click here to purchase the book on Amazon Books. [https://a.co/d/cUKJQY4]

Podcast TCCR #017 - Classification of narrative systems – from the individual to culture

This episode explores one of the most powerful analytical tools of the "Cognosystemic Theory of Human Psychosocial Relational Construction" (TCCR): the classification of narrative systems that constitute the Cognosystem. This proposal does not aim to produce a rigid taxonomy, but rather a flexible and operational guide to map the complex web of narratives that organize human meaning—from inner experience to macro-level cultural structures. Why Classify Narrative Systems? Because narrative does more than explain what we feel, think, or do—it structures psychosocial experience across multiple levels. Classifying it allows us to analyze how meaning is organized, how it is transmitted, and how it can be intentionally transformed. This tool is essential for Social Work, providing a comprehensive framework for deeply understanding individuals, groups, institutions, and cultures. Three Primary Ecosystemic Levels The TCCR organizes narrative systems across three major ecosystemic levels: - Intrapersonal narratives (microsystem): shape identity, self-image, and the sense of self. - Extrapersonal narratives (meso and exosystem): structure family, group, community, institutional, and media-based relationships. - Sociocultural narratives (macrosystem): shape the broader symbolic frameworks of culture, power, morality, and tradition. Types of Narrative Systems by Level Intrapersonal Narratives: -Identity-based: structure the self (“I”) -Self-perceptive and self-evaluative: regulate self-esteem and self-concept Ideological Narratives: - Philosophical, political, and religious: construct ethical, power-based, and transcendent frameworks Chronological Narratives: - Sequential, prospective, and time-valuative: organize the temporal experience Interpersonal Narratives: - Family, group, and community: shape belonging and relational bonds Organizational Narratives: - Institutional, economic-commercial, and media-cultural: regulate experience in organized and mass contexts Sociocultural Narratives: - Traditionalist, moralist, normativist, legalist: uphold the collective symbolic order A Narrative Ecology in Motion The TCCR emphasizes that narrative systems interact in a dynamic network: they influence each other, fuse, contradict, and transform. This narrative plasticity is key to understanding social, subjective, and cultural change processes. Through this classification, we can observe how certain narratives rise, shift, or disappear in response to historical and political contexts. Practical Applications for Social Work This tool enables professionals to: - Analyze narrative frameworks from micro to macro levels. - Diagnose symbolic structures within individuals, communities, or institutions. - Design multi-level interventions and strategies for narrative transformation. - Ground public policies, psychosocial research, and programs in a relational and contextual approach. The episode concludes with a central affirmation: To understand the classification of narrative systems is to understand how meaning is organized in human experience. Within the TCCR, this classification serves as a theoretical and methodological compass, linking the personal with the collective, and the individual with the cultural—offering Social Work a robust, situated, and transformative analytical foundation. Listen and reframe your way of reading the world—through the narratives that hold it together. Click here to purchase the book on Amazon Books. [https://a.co/d/3051aCq]

Podcast TCCR #016 - The Cognosystemic Meme – How narratives spread and mutate

This episode dives into one of the most original and operational concepts of the "Cognosystemic Theory of Human Psychosocial Relational Construction" (TCCR): the cognosystemic meme. Unlike the classical memetic theory proposed by Dawkins—where memes are viral, mechanically replicated contents—the cognosystemic meme in the TCCR is intentional, dynamic, structured, and transformative. What Is a Cognosystemic Meme? A cognosystemic meme is a unit of narrative meaning strategically designed to influence the symbolic organization of the Cognosystem. It serves as a vehicle for meaning that traverses narrative levels, modifies symbolic structures, and enables both the reproduction and transformation of collective meaning. Unlike the classical meme, this version plays a modulatory, adaptive, and critical role in narrative processes. Internal Structure of the Cognosystemic Meme The episode describes its essential components: - Semantic core: the central meaning, adaptable across contexts. - Narrative body: the cognitive evaluation that justifies and sustains it. - Representation format: expressed discursively, visually, gesturally, or ritually. - Dissemination channels: family, community, institutional, or media-based. - Propagation strategy: planned modes of legitimation, viralization, and repetition. Types of Cognosystemic Memes Three main types are identified: - Consolidation memes: reinforce hegemonic narratives. - Friction memes: introduce tension, challenge structures. - Transition memes: enable gradual reorganizations of meaning. Key Functions of the Cognosystemic Meme - Disseminate and integrate narratives across the Cognosystem’s levels. - Maintain symbolic coherence over time (chronosystem). - Activate deep narrative transformations. How Do Memes Propagate and Mutate? Cognosystemic memes are transmitted across ecosystemic levels and can mutate semantically as they enter new interpretive frameworks. These mutations can take various forms: - Fusion: combining with other memes. - Competition: vying for control of meaning. - Absorption: being incorporated by dominant narratives. Their transformation depends on factors such as: - Sociopolitical and cultural context. - The use of symbols, metaphors, and emotional language that facilitate internalization. Impact on the Narrative Hierarchy of the Cognosystem This episode explores how memes can: - Promote the rise of subaltern narratives. - Consolidate hegemonic narratives through repetition and consensus. - Erode dominant discourses through disruptive memes. Shaping the Cognosystem Finally, the episode analyzes how the cognosystemic meme functions as a strategic tool for reconfiguring the symbolic fabric that structures psychosocial reality. It is, therefore, a privileged device for analysis and intervention in Social Work aimed at generating cultural, subjective, and political transformation. The episode concludes with a key affirmation: Understanding the cognosystemic meme is understanding how the shared meaning of a society is built, sustained, and transformed. Listen and discover how narratives spread, change—and change the world. Click here to purchase the book on Amazon Books. [https://a.co/d/bmyfCyY]

Podcast TCCR #015 - The Layers of the Cognosystem: Interaction, friction, and movement

This episode introduces a profound analytical framework within the Cognosystemic Theory of Human Psychosocial Relational Construction (TCCR) for understanding how meaning is organized in psychosocial reality. The layers of the Cognosystem function as interdependent ecosystemic levels, where narratives are produced, circulate, clash, and transform. This episode is essential for grasping the dynamic architecture of meaning and for designing strategic interventions in Social Work. What Are Cognosystemic Layers? Cognosystemic layers are symbolic and relational levels where the discourses and meanings that shape human experience are structured. They act as hermeneutic filters: legitimizing, restricting, or transforming the narratives that circulate in society. Far from being isolated compartments, these layers are constantly interacting, shaping what can be thought, said, and done in any given context. Ecosystemic Levels of the Cognosystem The TCCR identifies four primary layers that make up this architecture: - Microsystem: intimate, familial, and school-related narratives—the subjective base. - Mesosystem: intermediate social relationships (community, groups, institutions). - Exosystem: institutional, legal, and media structures that exert indirect influence. - Macrosystem: overarching civilizational, ideological, and cultural narratives that provide global meaning. These layers interconnect continuously, generating complex webs of meaning. Narrative Movements Between Layers The episode explains how narratives may: - Move upward: marginalized stories gain symbolic power. - Move downward: dominant narratives lose legitimacy (e.g., radical individualism). - Shift horizontally: narratives hybridize or combine within the same level (e.g., contemporary spiritualities). These movements are not neutral—they reshape the symbolic structure of the Cognosystem. Permeability and Interdependence The Cognosystemic layers are highly permeable, enabling: - The circulation of cognosystemic memes. - The breakdown of rigid meaning structures. - Narrative reconfiguration in response to symbolic crises or disruptive events. This explains how a personal story can become culturally influential—or how institutional change can reshape everyday subjectivities. Friction Between Layers: Symbolic Conflict and Opportunity for Change Friction arises when incompatible narratives collide across different levels. These tensions generate: - Crises in the symbolic order. - Reconfigurations of narrative hierarchies. - The emergence of hybrid or innovative discourses. Examples include: - Meritocracy vs. Equity - Free market vs. Protective State - Religious tradition vs. Reproductive rights Implications for Social Work Understanding these layers allows practitioners to: - Identify symbolic conflicts at the appropriate ecosystemic level. - Design more precise and ethically grounded interventions. - Support narrative reorganization following crises, trauma, or social transformation. - Critically intervene in narrative shifts that shape everyday life. The episode concludes with a key premise: The layers of the Cognosystem are the dynamic map of human meaning. To intervene in them is to intervene in how individuals and societies construct their realities. The TCCR provides a powerful tool for thinking and acting in contexts of complexity, conflict, and change. Listen and explore how narratives travel, collide, and reorganize the world we inhabit. Click here to purchase the book on Amazon Books. [https://a.co/d/cKlpHqU]

Podcast TCCR #014 - Narrative hierarchies: Types, displacements, and disputes

This episode delves into one of the most powerful contributions of the "Cognosystemic Theory of Human Psychosocial Relational Construction" (TCCR): narrative hierarchy. In this framework, narratives are not just floating stories—they are structured systems, organized in levels that determine their ability to influence, guide, and shape the psychosocial world. Understanding this symbolic stratification enables critical intervention in the struggles over meaning that define our personal, institutional, and cultural realities. What Is a Narrative Hierarchy? The TCCR defines narrative hierarchy as the structural and functional stratification of narrative systems, based on their power to organize meaning, influence behavior, and legitimize social structures. Narratives may reinforce, challenge, resist, or transform the existing order. Their position is not fixed—it shifts based on factors like emotional resonance, memetic circulation, adoption by key actors, and cultural reach. Types of Narratives According to Their Position in the Hierarchy The episode outlines seven types of narratives, ranked from least to most influential: 1. Subjugated narratives: silenced, marginalized, or excluded voices. 2. Resigned narratives: passively accept symbolic domination. 3. Adaptive narratives: adjust to the existing order without questioning it. 4. Resilient narratives: resist through memory, identity, and culture. 5. Challenging narratives: openly confront hegemonic narratives. 6. Emerging dominant narratives: rising toward symbolic centrality. 7. Hegemonic narratives: structure the Cognosystem with broad consensus and institutional power. Dimensions of Narrative Power The episode explores four key dimensions for assessing the strength of a narrative: - Structuring: shapes identities, roles, and practices. - Legitimizing: naturalizes power relations. - Transformative: opens symbolic possibilities for change. - Resistant: opposes hegemonic impositions from a subaltern position. Three Phases of Narrative Evolution Narratives may also be understood through three developmental phases: - Beta phase: consolidation. - Alpha phase: legitimacy crisis. - Delta phase: displacement or mutation. Hierarchical Shifts: How Narratives Move Narratives can shift their hierarchical position through: - Upward movement: when previously marginalized narratives gain influence (e.g., feminism, LGBTQ+ rights). - Downward movement: when dominant narratives lose legitimacy (e.g., radical meritocracy). - Horizontal movement: when competing narratives interact on the same level (e.g., green development vs. degrowth). These movements are triggered by contextual crises, symbolic leadership, emotional resonance, or feedback across Cognosystemic levels. Narrative Frictions and Meaning Struggles The episode explores how conflicts between narratives become key sources of transformation. Example: the tension between industrial growth and ecological transition. These frictions can generate: - Discursive crises. - Symbolic reformulations. - Innovative narrative syntheses that redefine collective meaning. Applications for Social Work From the TCCR perspective, analyzing narrative hierarchies allows practitioners to: - Identify naturalized oppressive discourses. - Make visible excluded, potentially emancipatory narratives. - Design interventions that promote just symbolic shifts. - Actively engage in meaning-making struggles guided by a relational and transformative ethics. The episode closes with a key affirmation: Narrative hierarchy reveals the symbolic struggles of the social world. Intervening in them—as the TCCR proposes—is not only possible, but necessary for a critical, ethical, and socially committed practice. Listen and transform how you read power, culture, and change through the lens of narratives. Click here to purchase the book on Amazon Books. [https://a.co/d/3LyvsZ3]