Symbolism as a Psychological Principle

Symbolism as a Universal Structure

Symbolism is not merely an artistic movement or personal preference, nor is it just an aesthetic phenomenon of a particular era. Symbolism is a universal psychological structure that permeates human consciousness. Regardless of how much our perception leans toward the analytical or rational, the fundamental structure through which we understand reality remains symbolic. Symbolism is a normative given for every individual; in fact, we perceive and interpret everything symbolically.

The symbol, as the primary expression of human existence, is never singular or simple. Even when our perception of existence is fragmented into individual parts—analytical denotations, particularities—the singular symbol is not lost. It remains present, in its wholeness, weaving through all these fragments with its deeper, connecting essence. Our linguistic marking of the world is merely one exponent, one aspect of the symbol, used to describe what we might call symbol-thought—an idea that forms the fundamental principle of our understanding of reality.

The symbolic nature of language manifests itself in everyday experiences. When someone watches a film but fails to grasp its essence, they have not succeeded in deciphering the symbol embedded in the film. The symbolism of the film is often broken down into symbols within symbols, or what we can call symbolic morphemes, components that form the totality of the symbolic discourse. Understanding the entirety of symbolism is a process, an active act of interpretation—the act of interpreting the symbol, as a psychological model of representing reality.

Interpretation as a Psychological Process

Interpreting symbols is not merely a mental activity or a facultative task of consciousness; it is a fundamental function of existence. The interpretation of reality, through the symbols that represent it, represents one of the core psychological processes, which does not require conscious effort but is a continuous, natural, and biologically ingrained process. We constantly, without pause, interpret the world through symbols—this is our primary means of understanding existence. As a consequence of this uninterrupted process of interpretation, we define what we call Existence.

The very act of symbolic interpretation is not a choice, nor is it a voluntary action; it is an inevitable part of human consciousness. Everything we perceive, we experience as a symbolic representation of reality, and through these representations, we shape, redefine, and affirm our understanding of the world. This capacity for symbolic interpretation of existence is continuous, automatic, and aligned with our biological and cognitive structure.

In this way, symbolism does not merely become an artistic or intellectual practice; it is a psychological necessity, an expression of our being and our unconscious need to make sense of the world.