Affective Scaffoldings as Habits: A Pragmatist Approach.

Area of Science:

• Philosophy of Mind
• Psychology
• Affective Science

Background:

• Traditional views of affectivity often create a dualism between internal states and external influences.
• Existing frameworks may not fully capture the dynamic interplay between individuals and their surroundings in shaping emotional responses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a pragmatist conceptualization of affective habits, moving beyond object-centric to interaction-centric perspectives.
• To offer a novel framework for understanding how habits channel affectivity and influence human sensibility.
• To integrate environmental and agent-environment transactional factors in the study of emotions and behaviors.

Main Methods:

• Grounded in John Dewey's philosophy of sensibility and habits.
• Re-oriented the debate on affective scaffoldings from objects to interactions.
• Provided pragmatist tools for analyzing the role of the environment in shaping affective experiences.

Main Results:

• Affective habits are conceptualized as flexible mechanisms for channeling affectivity.
• Habits positively support and orient human sensibility, avoiding internalist/externalist dualism.
• The continuous, recursive transaction between agent and environment (natural and cultural) is crucial for affective development.

Conclusions:

• Affective habits are transformative, playing a key role in emotional regulation and behavioral change.
• Emotions can arise from disruptions in habitual behavior, prompting habit transformation.
• Affective habits serve as pervasive tools that scaffold conduct and drive behavioral evolution.