Cultural-historical psychology
Encyclopedia
Cultural-historical psychology (also called the school of Vygotsky, sociocultural psychology, socio-historical psychology, activity theory
, cultural psychology, cultural historical activity theory, and social development theory
) is a theory of psychology founded by Lev Vygotsky
at the end of the 1920s and developed by his students and followers in Eastern Europe and worldwide.
Cultural-historical psychology emerged as a response to Cartesian dualism
between mind and body in psychology of that time as a deliberate attempt to establish a new paradigm in psychological research that would overcome the narrow objectivism of behaviorism
(Watson) and subjectivism
of introspective psychology
of Wundt
, James
, and others. It focuses on human development to make genetic claims about the function of mind in activity. These claims could be part of, or a basis for, a return to the unity of human science
s.
Vygotsky and his associates postulate in principle non-adaptive character and the mechanisms of higher psychical (mental) functions development. Defining the main goal of psychological inquiry as an objective study of human consciousness
, the members of Vygotsky's school investigate the role of cultural mediation
and such cultural mediators as word
, sign
(Vygotsky), symbol
, myth
(Losev, V. Zinchenko) in the development of human higher psychical functions, development of personality
and its "top-most' phenomenology.
A basic distinguishing feature of cultural-historical psychology is that "the species-specific characteristic of human beings is their need and ability to inhabit an environment transformed by the activity of prior members of their species. Such transformations and the mechanism of the transfer of these transformations from one generation to the next are the result of the ability/procilivity of human beings to create and use artifacts - aspects of the material world that are taken up into human action as modes of coordinating with the physical and social environment." (Cole 1995, p. 190) In this way, research has been done into the effects of literacy (Cole & Scribner) and mathematics (Saxe) outside of traditional schooling to understand how cognition develops embedded in a given place and time.
Activity theory
Activity theory is a psychological meta-theory, paradigm, or theoretical framework, with its roots in Lev Semyonovich Vygotsky's cultural-historical psychology. Its founders were Alexei N...
, cultural psychology, cultural historical activity theory, and social development theory
Social development theory
Social development theory attempts to explain qualitative changes in the structure and framework of society, that help the society to better realize its aims and objectives...
) is a theory of psychology founded by Lev Vygotsky
Lev Vygotsky
Lev Semyonovich Vygotsky was a Soviet psychologist, the founder of cultural-historical psychology, and the leader of the Vygotsky Circle.-Biography:...
at the end of the 1920s and developed by his students and followers in Eastern Europe and worldwide.
Cultural-historical psychology emerged as a response to Cartesian dualism
Dualism (philosophy of mind)
In philosophy of mind, dualism is a set of views about the relationship between mind and matter, which begins with the claim that mental phenomena are, in some respects, non-physical....
between mind and body in psychology of that time as a deliberate attempt to establish a new paradigm in psychological research that would overcome the narrow objectivism of behaviorism
Behaviorism
Behaviorism , also called the learning perspective , is a philosophy of psychology based on the proposition that all things that organisms do—including acting, thinking, and feeling—can and should be regarded as behaviors, and that psychological disorders are best treated by altering behavior...
(Watson) and subjectivism
Subjectivism
Subjectivism is a philosophical tenet that accords primacy to subjective experience as fundamental of all measure and law. In extreme forms like Solipsism, it may hold that the nature and existence of every object depends solely on someone's subjective awareness of it...
of introspective psychology
Introspection
Introspection is the self-observation and reporting of conscious inner thoughts, desires and sensations. It is a conscious and purposive process relying on thinking, reasoning, and examining one's own thoughts, feelings, and, in more spiritual cases, one's soul...
of Wundt
Wilhelm Wundt
Wilhelm Maximilian Wundt was a German physician, psychologist, physiologist, philosopher, and professor, known today as one of the founding figures of modern psychology. He is widely regarded as the "father of experimental psychology"...
, James
William James
William James was a pioneering American psychologist and philosopher who was trained as a physician. He wrote influential books on the young science of psychology, educational psychology, psychology of religious experience and mysticism, and on the philosophy of pragmatism...
, and others. It focuses on human development to make genetic claims about the function of mind in activity. These claims could be part of, or a basis for, a return to the unity of human science
Human Science
Human science refers to the investigation of human life and activities via a phenomenological methodology that acknowledges the validity of both sensory and psychological experience...
s.
Vygotsky and his associates postulate in principle non-adaptive character and the mechanisms of higher psychical (mental) functions development. Defining the main goal of psychological inquiry as an objective study of human consciousness
Consciousness
Consciousness is a term that refers to the relationship between the mind and the world with which it interacts. It has been defined as: subjectivity, awareness, the ability to experience or to feel, wakefulness, having a sense of selfhood, and the executive control system of the mind...
, the members of Vygotsky's school investigate the role of cultural mediation
Cultural mediation
Cultural mediation is one of the fundamental mechanisms of distinctly human development according to cultural–historical psychological theory introduced by Lev Vygotsky and developed in the work of his numerous followers worldwide.-Introduction:...
and such cultural mediators as word
Word
In language, a word is the smallest free form that may be uttered in isolation with semantic or pragmatic content . This contrasts with a morpheme, which is the smallest unit of meaning but will not necessarily stand on its own...
, sign
Sign (semiotics)
A sign is understood as a discrete unit of meaning in semiotics. It is defined as "something that stands for something, to someone in some capacity" It includes words, images, gestures, scents, tastes, textures, sounds – essentially all of the ways in which information can be...
(Vygotsky), symbol
Symbol
A symbol is something which represents an idea, a physical entity or a process but is distinct from it. The purpose of a symbol is to communicate meaning. For example, a red octagon may be a symbol for "STOP". On a map, a picture of a tent might represent a campsite. Numerals are symbols for...
, myth
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
(Losev, V. Zinchenko) in the development of human higher psychical functions, development of personality
Personality Development
An individual's personality is an aggregate conglomeration of decisions we've made throughout our lives . There are inherent natural, genetic, and environmental factors that contribute to the development of our personality. According to process of socialization, "personality also colors our values,...
and its "top-most' phenomenology.
A basic distinguishing feature of cultural-historical psychology is that "the species-specific characteristic of human beings is their need and ability to inhabit an environment transformed by the activity of prior members of their species. Such transformations and the mechanism of the transfer of these transformations from one generation to the next are the result of the ability/procilivity of human beings to create and use artifacts - aspects of the material world that are taken up into human action as modes of coordinating with the physical and social environment." (Cole 1995, p. 190) In this way, research has been done into the effects of literacy (Cole & Scribner) and mathematics (Saxe) outside of traditional schooling to understand how cognition develops embedded in a given place and time.
See also
- Social development theorySocial development theorySocial development theory attempts to explain qualitative changes in the structure and framework of society, that help the society to better realize its aims and objectives...
- Laboratory of Comparative Human Cognition (LCHC)Laboratory of Comparative Human Cognition (LCHC)Laboratory of Comparative Human Cognition is a social science laboratory located at the University of California, San Diego since 1978. Scholars at LCHC pursue research focused on understanding the complex relationship between cognition and culture in individual and social development...
- Critical psychologyCritical psychologyCritical psychology is an approach to psychology that takes a critical theory–based perspective. Critical psychology is aimed at critiquing mainstream psychology and attempts to apply psychology in more progressive ways, often looking towards social change as a means of preventing and treating...
- Constructivism (learning theory)Constructivism (learning theory)Constructivism is a theory of knowledge that argues that humans generate knowledge and meaning from an interaction between their experiences and their ideas. During infancy, it was an interaction between human experiences and their reflexes or behavior-patterns. Piaget called these systems of...
- Zone of proximal developmentZone of proximal development“The zone of proximal development defines functions that have not matured yet, but are in a process of maturing. The zone of proximal development , often abbreviated ZPD, is the difference between what a learner can do without help and what he or she can do with help...
External resources
- Зинченко В. П. (1993). Культурно-историческая психология: опыт амплификации. Вопросы психологии, 1993, N 4.
- Культурно-историческая психология, [Cultural-historical psychology], International psychological journal (in Russian)
- Lev Vygotsky Archive at marxists.org
- A.N. Leontev Archive at marxists.org
- A.R Luria Archive at marxists.org
- Cole, M. (1996). Cultural Psychology: a once and future discipline. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
- Cole, M. (1995). "Socio-cultural historical psychology". in Sociocultural studies of mind. ed. Jim Wertsch et al. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
- Cole, M. & Scribner, Sylvia. (1981). The Psychology of Literacy. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
- Saxe, G. (1990) Culture and cognitive development : studies in mathematical understanding. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum Press.
- Wertsch, James. (1985). Mind as Action. New York: Oxford University Press.
- http://antropogogia.zoomblog.com/archivo/2009/03/31/teoria-socio-historica-de-Lev-Vigotsky.html. Antropología Sociocultural. Construccion - Deconstrucción del Aprendizaje.
- Yasnitsky, A. (2011). Lev Vygotsky: Philologist and Defectologist, A Socio-intellectual Biography. In Pickren, W., Dewsbury, D., & Wertheimer, M. (Eds.). Portraits of Pioneers in Developmental Psychology, vol. VII.
- van der Veer, R. & Yasnitsky, A. (2011). Vygotsky in English: What Still Needs to Be Done. Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science html, pdf
- Yasnitsky, A. (2011). Vygotsky Circle as a Personal Network of Scholars: Restoring Connections Between People and Ideas. Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science, DOI: 10.1007/s12124-011-9168-5 pdf