Conceptual Framework

To establish the foundations of Postal Psychosociology, one must draw from sources that study materiality, symbolic communication, and the psychology of objects. Since there is no formal "school" by this exact name, our framework is built upon the intersection of the following currents:

1. Social Psychology and Symbolic Interactionism
This is the strongest foundation. It examines how objects and writing shape the perception of the "Self" and the "Other."

• Erving Goffman: Fundamental to understanding the "Presentation of Self." A letter or postcard is a performance where the sender chooses which image they wish to project.
• Herbert Blumer: Essential for understanding how we assign meanings to objects (a stamp is not merely a proof of payment; it is a symbol of belonging or status).

2. The Chicago School and Human Ecology
Studies how the environment and infrastructures (such as the postal system) connect people.

• Georg Simmel: His work on the metropolis, mental life, and "The Stranger" is excellent for analyzing the tension between physical distance and emotional proximity in the mail.

3. Object Theory and Material Culture
Here, the postcard is studied as an artifact.

• Jean Baudrillard: In The System of Objects, he analyzes how objects function as social signs.
• Abraham Moles: A psychologist who studied the "Psychology of Space" and the phenomenology of everyday objects.

4. Psychology of Writing and Graphology (Clinical/Social Perspective)

• Max Pulver: A classic author who links calligraphy to the symbolic space of the paper (the top represents the celestial/spiritual; the base represents the earth/instinctive). Useful for analyzing the sender's emotional state.

5. Collective Memory and the History of Mentalities

• Maurice Halbwachs: To understand how postal items preserve a society's collective memory and how mailing rituals maintain social cohesion.
• Michel Foucault: Through his analysis of the "archive" and "heterotopias" (the postcard as a "place" that transports the reader to another location).

6. Communication and Media (Psychological Approach)

• Marshall McLuhan: His maxim "The medium is the message" is the heart of this thesis: the physical medium (the postcard) communicates something that the written content alone cannot replicate.

Note on Methodology:

While the authors mentioned above provide our core foundation, additional authors and theoretical frameworks will be incorporated as the analysis of specific philatelic items and their epistolary content may require, ensuring a tailored approach to each unique piece. Our goal is to maintain a dynamic academic perspective that adapts to the historical and psychological nuances of every document.