Expectations are condensations of →meaning references that show how a certain situation is constituted and what lies ahead of it. Their function is to provide a relatively stable orientation to communication and thought, despite the complexity and contingency of the world. In this sense, expectations are the →structures of social and psychic systems, because they stabilize the selectivity of these systems and hold open a horizon of possibilities. Expectations of expectations (or reflexive expectations) serve as the structures of social systems.
Expectations form by selecting a limited number of possibilities that the system orients itself towards (we expect asphalt to be wet or dry, but not that it sinks). The selection is carried out by the condensation of meaning references, which forms an expectation. Condensation comes about through a general- ization of meaning, which allows the upholding of identities (the asphalt, the sinking, the idea of solidity) independently of their respective specifications. Identities that condense expectations can be maintained in the system beyond the individual event or situation (we continue to expect that asphalt does not sink). The condensation of expectations has a dual function: