Semiotics, Semiology and Safety Sense

Dr Rob Long from www.humandymensions.com talks about the power of symbols in response to this recent article

See also Symbols Have Power

When looking for a metaphor or icon to explain safety what do you think might be a thoughtful and intelligent choice for a safety organisation? The study of semiotics (the study of symbols) and semiology (the study of language) is so important when considering the nature of organizational culture. Research indicates that the average person holds at hundreds of symbols in their heads that can be recalled at any time (eg. chinese characters) yet only remember a a few number sequences. Symbols, colours and words have an identity effect and create comfort or fear and a host of other unconscious psychological effects. For those travelling in a strange country it is amazing the effect of seeing those ‘golden arches’ even though we don’t normally eat such food. Similarly, we see a swastika and this evokes fear and concern. The power of colour psychology (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_psychology) can also effect mood, thinking and help make images and symbols more powerful to our unconscious.

Semiotics tells us that choice of symbols, icons, colours and images are powerful. The work of Jung (Man and His Symbols), Chandler (Semiotics, The Basics) and Ricoeur (The Symbolism of Evil) and many scholars of semiology and semiotics clearly established the power of language and symbols to affect belief, culture and behaviour. It was Ricoeur that stated: ‘man (sic) is a linguistic being” and that it is in and through language that we create and relate meaning. Humans are also social beings and it is through language that we share cultural purpose.

So, how easily can invisible ideas and things get into our head and our unconscious? Here’s an experiment: cut out 50 symbols from magazines and papers and stick them to a board or, copy 50 symbols from the Internet and run them as a quiz at work and test your friends. For example, name the following random 10 symbols?

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Got them all easily didn’t you?

Most people can recognise 50 or more symbols without hesitation. So, how more considered should we be about the messages we convey through this medium? To ignore the importance of semiotics and semiology often leads to absurd contradictions to espoused messages in organisations and then all that people learn (unconsciously) is the validation of ‘double speak’ and that safety people are ‘silly’.

So, in light of all we know about semiotics why would a safety organisation chose absurd images (an echidna with corks on its spines, a platypus with ‘floaties’, a koala in a harness) as symbols for safety? What is the message conveyed by such symbols? What is the trajectory of these symbols? Poor old Australian animals are either a danger to us or to themselves? Is safety about floaties, harnesses, hard hats and sharp objects?

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Dr Rob Long

Expert in Social Psychology, Principal & Trainer at Human Dymensions

Latest posts by Dr Rob Long (see all)

You Can Put Safety Into Engineering but, You Can’t Get Engineering Out of Safety - September 28, 2022
The Yo-Yo Delusion and Conversations About Risk - September 27, 2022
The Primacy of Play in Learning - September 27, 2022
The Myth of Normal - September 27, 2022
Culture Myths in Safety - September 26, 2022

PhD., MEd., MOH., BEd., BTh., Dip T., Dip Min., Cert IV TAA, MRMIA Rob is the founder of Human Dymensions and has extensive experience, qualifications and expertise across a range of sectors including government, education, corporate, industry and community sectors over 30 years. Rob has worked at all levels of the education and training sector including serving on various post graduate executive, post graduate supervision, post graduate course design and implementation programs.