TITLE:
Psychological Foundations of Communication: Cognition, Affectivity, and Sociality as the Architecture of Meaning
AUTHORS:
David K. Pata
KEYWORDS:
Psychological Foundations, Communication, Cognition, Emotion, Social Interaction
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Access Library Journal,
Vol.13 No.8,
August
4,
2026
ABSTRACT: If Information and Communication Sciences largely mobilize concepts from psychology, their psychological foundations often remain implicit or fragmented. This article proposes a theoretical structuring of the psychological foundations of communication by articulating three central dimensions: cognition, affectivity and sociality. Drawing on contributions from cognitive psychology, affective psychology and social psychology, the study shows that communicative acts are based on interdependent mental processes which condition the production of meaning, emotional engagement and interactional dynamics. The article defends the idea that communication constitutes an integral psychological phenomenon, irreducible to a simple transmission of information or an isolated social interaction. This approach makes it possible to propose a unified conceptual framework for analyzing varied communication practices—organizational, media, political and digital—while reinforcing the theoretical coherence and scientific cumulativeness of CIS.