Integrated Worldview

Description

Shima Beigi et al. :

" This is a broad conceptual scheme that helps people orient themselves in the world and find meaning in what happens to them (Park 2010; Steger 2009). In the tradition initiated by the philosopher Leo Apostel, an integrated worldview can be seen as consisting of six components that form a coherent framework (Aerts et al. 1994; Vidal 2012; 2008). These components can be understood as fundamental aspects or dimensions of meaning.

Whenever we are confronted with a situation or phenomenon that we need to make sense of, we will tend to ask the following questions:

(1) Present (Identification): what is it? What precisely is going on?

(2) Past (Explanation): where does it come from? Why is it there? What caused it to be?

(3) Future (Prediction): where is it going to? What are the likely consequences?

(4) Knowledge: do I have the necessary facts? How can I find out more?

(5) Action: how can I deal with the situation? What courses of action do I have?

(6) Value: what are the good and the bad aspects? Which goals should I try to achieve?

The first three aspects are “objective”: they focus on understanding the external situation. The last three are subjective: they try to clarify the relation between the subject (“I”) and the situation, so that the subject knows how to react. This worldview scheme can be understood as an extension of Antonovsky’s three-component Sence of Coherence scheme."

(https://cris.vub.be/ws/portalfiles/portal/281521855/Third_Story-working_paper-submitt.pdf?)