INTERS U BJ ECTIV IT Y

OBJECTIVES:
• Define and explain the meaning and the process of
intersubjectivity;
• Discuss the application and importance of intersubjectivity to
society;
• Prove that authentic dialogue means accepting others if they
are different from you; and
• Demonstrate an appreciation for the talents of persons with
disabilities and those from the underprivileged sectors of
society.
Whenever an unfortunate event
occurs, you feel sad or anxious, but
how do you assure yourself that
those feelings are real?
It is easy to say that interacting with
others can confirm the validity of
emotions as a person may have towards
the environment. In this interaction,
intersubjectivity takes place.
THE MEANING AND PROCESS OF
INTERSUBJECTIVITY
•Each person has a subjective experience of
the world. However, because of this
subjective experience, one cannot know
which events occur in reality or which are
products of self-perception.
• Social interactions among individuals through
comparison, agreement, and confirmation of
each others’ perceptions make it easier to
determine real events occurring in society.
• This concept is called intersubjectivity, the
shared perception of reality between or among
two or more individuals.
• A main principle of intersubjectivity is
communarization, a social process wherein the
community of other people are seen as
embedded within the self.
• This process initially occurs with the idea that
other individuals are extensions of the self and
serve as the “alter-ego” of a person’s being…
•The self and others are therefore seen
as a pair that shares each other’s lived
experiences. This is much like the
concept of empathy or “being in the
shoes” of others.
THE APPLICATION OF
INTERSUBJECTIVITY TO SOCIETY
• Because intersubjectivity looks at others as embedded within
the self, it is safe to say that this concept also promotes a view
that all people are equal.
• This would imply that people from other sectors of society,
such as those who have physical disabilities or socioeconomic
challenges, are seen as individuals with the same potential and
talents as anybody else.
• Because intersubjectivity is unbiased, everyone has
the power to understand relationships and
interactions occurring within society with the little
regard to social or physical deficiencies.
• In effect, people who are marginalized may still be
seen as significant contributors to society through
their talents, skills, and capabilities.
EXAMPLES OF DISADVANTAGED
INDIVIDUALS:
1. Stephen Hawking is a physicist and cosmologist
who, despite his rare medical condition called
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), made significant
contributions to contemporary studies of relativity
and quantum physics.
2. As a child, Oprah Winfrey
experienced living in a poor household
and was sexually abused. Despite this,
she motivated herself to succeed and
did so by being one of the richest
women alive today.
THE USE OF AUTHENTIC DIALOGUE
• Authentic dialogue is a form of interpersonal
communication wherein individuals acknowledge
that they are part of a greater whole and that they
resonate with others within the whole.
• This occurs when individuals learn to set aside their
personal biases and begin seeing themselves in
others through communarization.
• In this sense, other people, including the
marginalized sector, are seen as functional parts
of a whole.
• No biases or preferences are exemplified
during the dialogue because an individual has
learned to perceive and communicate with
others with a sense of community and
oneness.
EXAMPLES:
• Accepting your classmates’ opinion on government
services because his experience with transacting
with government employees is different from yours.
• Overlooking the fact that your boss yelled at you
since you understand that he only did so out of
concern over an urgent matter.
THE IMPORTANCE OF
INTERSUBJECTIVITY

•It validates real and authentic

subjective experiences.
•It facilitates interaction among
individuals.
• It enables individuals to look at others equally,
regardless of any physical or socio-
demographic factor.
• It promotes a sense of community and unity
among individuals.
• It emphasizes that anyone can contribute to
society.
EXPLORE!
• Many people all over the world have attested to the idea
that spiritual entities, such as the ghost of a departed loved
one, are just lurking the earth with the living human beings.
Some people, however, are hesitant to believe this
phenomenon because there is still not enough proof that
the supernatural exists. In your perception, can the concept
of intersubjectivity be used to confirm the validity of this
phenomenon?
WHAT DO YOU THINK?

•Are intersubjective concept always

considered real occurrences? Why?
Why not?
REMEMBER
• Intersubjectivity is not a process, but rather a
concept. The process incorporated within the
concept is communarization.
• Authentic dialogue is a technique that requires, at
least, two people in a conversation with each other.
This is a variety of a simple dialogue.
• Intersubjectivity is a concept where social interactions among
individuals through comparison, agreement, and confirmation of
each other’s perceptions make it easier to determine real
events occurring in society.
• Communarization is a social process wherein the community
of other people are seen as embedded within the self.
• An authentic dialogue is a form of interpersonal
communication wherein individuals acknowledge that they are
part of a greater whole and that they resonate with others
within the whole.