4 Recursive Processes: Reflexivity and Metaconstrual

So far in The Construal Experiments, we have seen how a solitary process exists without time or space, how a second process allows time to emerge, and how multiple processes give rise to space. Now we take the next step: processes that reference themselves or other processes, introducing reflexivity and higher-order construals.

What is a Recursive Process?

A recursive process is one that:

• Observes or references itself,

• Interacts with another process in a way that modifies both,

• Or participates in loops of mutual alignment.

These processes introduce a new horizon: metaconstrual — the capacity to construe not only events, but the relations between events themselves.

Reflexivity in Action

Imagine a process that records its own unfolding or adjusts based on its prior states. This is reflexivity: the process becomes a participant in its own alignment.

• Time and space are already present from prior posts, but now the process can act upon the temporal or spatial horizons themselves.

• The boundaries of relational coherence are no longer fixed; the process can modify them, creating new possibilities for construal.

Metaconstrual: Constructing Higher-Order Horizons

Recursive processes allow us to see how complex structures of meaning emerge:

• Identity arises when a process aligns with itself across time and space.

• Norms or patterns emerge when multiple recursive processes align their reflexive actions.

• Symbolic structures — such as language or social coordination — can be understood as recursively constraining and expanding relational fields.

In this way, reflexivity and recursion are the engines through which higher-order horizons — beyond mere time and space — come into being.

Implications

• Recursive processes illustrate that horizons themselves can be acted upon.

• Reflexivity is the key to symbolic, cognitive, and social phenomena.

• The distinction between first-order processes and higher-order construals clarifies how meaning and identity emerge from within the relational field, rather than being imposed externally.

Looking Ahead

In the next post, we will explore symbolic processes, including language, dialogue, and AI, showing how meaning emerges in relational fields. We will see that the structures of thought and culture are nothing more — and nothing less — than recursive construals of processes within extended relational horizons.