Vygotsky's scientific psychology: Terra incognita

1163

Abstract

This article presents a brief overview of the developments in Marxist psychology and its achievement over the past first Marx's century (1883—1983) and then preview how Marxist psychology looks like in the second Marx's century (1983—2083). Marxist psychology of the second Marx's century will shape the ontological, epistemological, theoretical, and methodological outlook of psychological studies. Marx research investigations guide the scope of our theoretical and empirical scientific activities and lead to the conclusion that human higher mental functions are rooted in Marx's four levels of the organization of production that regulate and organize all forms of human life including human higher mental functions. Marx's archives possessed a wealth of fragmented psychological ideas and concepts. This article concludes with the idea that, the second century Marx will be more productive and for the first time we are perhaps nearer to a Marxist psychology than ever. This view is essentially possible if it has an important market and an influence in the United States. Here I join Marx's conclusion that the real change for a better world will begin in the United States, this change will shape the world. In the last three decades, Vygotsky was re-discovered and promoted by North American psychologists, and his ideas spread around the world including Russia.

General Information

Keywords: Vygotsky, Scientific psychology, Dialectics, Concrete reality, Social relations, Praxis, Consciousness, Totality, Crisis of psychology

Journal rubric: Vygotskology

Article type: scientific article

For citation: Elhammoumi M. Vygotsky's scientific psychology: Terra incognita. Kul'turno-istoricheskaya psikhologiya = Cultural-Historical Psychology, 2009. Vol. 5, no. 3, pp. 49–54. (In Russ., аbstr. in Engl.)

References

  1. Althusser L. For Marx. London: New Left Books, 1970.
  2. Asmolov A. G. Vygotsky today: On the verge of nonclassical psychology. New York: Nova Science, 1998.
  3. Blanck G. Vygotsky: the man and his cause. In L. Moll Ed.). Vygotsky and education: Instructional implications and applications of sociohistorical psychology. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1990.
  4. Canguilhem G. Qu'estce que la psychologie? [What is psychology?]. Revue de Metaphysique et de Morales, 1, 12-25. Original work lecture delivered in College Philosophique de Paris on December 18th 1956., 1958.
  5. Clot Y. (Eds.). Avec Vygotski [With Vygotski ]. Paris: La Dispute, 1999.
  6. Cole M. Cultural psychology: A once and future discipline. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1996.
  7. Crews F. Dialectical materialism. American Scholar, 84 (4). 1985.
  8. Daniels H. Vygotsky and pedagogy. London; New York: Routledge / Falmer. 2002.
  9. Elhammoumi M. Sociohistoricocultural psychology: Lev Semenovich Vygotsly (1896-1934). Lanham, MD: University Press of America. 1997.
  10. Elhammoumi M. Lostor merely domesticated? The boom in sociohistoricocultural theory emphasizes some concepts, overlooks others. In S. Chaiklin (Ed.), The theory and practice of culturalhistorical psychology. Aarhus, Denmark: Aarhus University Press, 2001.
  11. Elhammoumi M. Recepcion de Vigotsky en America Latina: Terreno fertil para una psicologia materialista [The reception of Lev Vygotsky in South America: A fertile terrain for a materialist psychology]. In M. Golder (Ed.). Vigotsky: Psicologo radical [Vygotsky: A radical psychologist]. Buenos Aires, Argentina: Ateneo Vigotskiano de la Argentina. [In Spanish], 2001.
  12. Elhammoumi M. To create psychology's own capital. Journal for The Theory of Social Behavior, 32 (1). 2002.
  13. Elhammoumi M. Vygotsky via Marx: Toward a Marxist psychology. Paper presented at the Fifth Congress of the International Society for Cultural Research and Activity Theory (ISCRAT). Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 18-22, June 2002.
  14. Elhammoumi M. Vygotsky's concept of culture: A Hegelian and Marxist analysis. Paper presented at the Fifth Congress of the International Society for Cultural Research and Activity Theory (ISCRAT). Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 18-22 June 2002.
  15. Elhammoumi M. Is there a Marxist psychology? In P. Sawchuk, N. Duarte & M. Elhammoumi (Eds.). Critical perspectives on activity theory: Explorations across education, work and the everyday life. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2006.
  16. Elhammoumi M. Toward a Marxist psychology: Vygotsky's legacy, 2007.
  17. Jantzen W. The Spinozist Programme for Psychology: An Attempt to Reconstruct Vygotsky's Methodology of Psychological Materialism in View of his Theories of Emotions. In D. Robbins & A. Stetsenko (Eds.). Voices with in Vygotsky's nonclassical psychology: Past, present future. New York: Nova Science Publishers, 2002.
  18. Kozulin A. Vygotsky's psychology: A biography of ideas. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1990.
  19. Le Ny J. F. Le materialisme et psychologie sociale [Materialism and social psychology], 1963.
  20. Lompscher J. Is Vygotsky fully understandable without Marx? Private correspondences. Manuscript, 2001.
  21. Lompscher J. The category of activity as a principal constituent of culturalhistorical psychology. In D. Robbins & A. Stetsenko (Eds.), Voices within Vygotsky's nonclassical psychology: Past, present future. New York: Nova Science Publishers, 2002.
  22. Malrieu Ph. Vers une recherche marxiste en psychologie [Toward a Marxist research in psychology], 1983.
  23. Marx K. Theses on Feurbach. In K. Marx & F. Engels, The German ideology, 1973.
  24. Marx K. Preface to «A contribution to the critique of political economy». In Tucker, R.C. (Ed.). The MarxEngels Reader. New York: Norton, 1978.
  25. Mecacci L. Vygotskij: Antologia di scritti. Bologne: Il Mulino, 1983.
  26. Moro C., Schneuwly B., & Brossard M. (Eds.) Outils et signs: Perspectives actuelles de la theorie de Vygotski [Tools and signs: Perspectives on Vygotsky's theory]. Bern, Switzerland: Peter Lang, 1997.
  27. Naville P. Psychologie, marxisme et materialisme [Psychology, Marxism and materialism]. Paris: Marcel Riviere, 1948.
  28. Newman F. & Holzman L. Lev Vygotsky: Revolutionary scientist. London: Routledge, 1993.
  29. Quiniou Y. Marxisme et psychologie [Marxism and psychology]. 1983.
  30. Ratner C. Activity as a key concept for cultural psychology. Culture & Psychology, 2. 1996.
  31. Riviere A. La psicologia de Vygotski [The psychology of Vygotsky]. Madrid: Visor. Alson in French. La psychologie de Vygotsky, 1990. Belgique: Pierre Mardaga. 1985.
  32. Robbins D. Vygotsky's psychologyphilosophy: A metaphor for language theory and learning. New York: Kluwer Academic / Plenum Publishers. 2001.
  33. Roth W. M., & Lee Y. J. «Vygotsky's neglected legacy»: Cultural historical activity theory. Review of Educational Research, 77(2). 2007.
  34. Sartre J. P. Critique de la raison dialectique, Tome 1 [Critique of dialectical reason, Volume1]. Paris: Editions Gallimard. 1960.
  35. Sawchuk P., Duarte N., & Elhammoumi M. (Eds.). Critical Perspectives on Activity Theory: Explorations Across Education, Work and the Everyday Life. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2006.
  36. Schneuwly B., & Bronckart J. P. (Eds.). Vygotski aujourd'hui [Vygotsky today]. NeuchatelParis: Delachaux & Niestle (Collection Textes de Base en Psychologie). 1985.
  37. Seve L. Psychologie et marxisme [Psychology and Marxism], 1966.
  38. Seve L. Marxism and the theory of human personality. London: Lawrence & Wishart, 1975.
  39. Seve L. Man in marxist theory and the psychology of personality. New Jersey: Harvester Press, 1978.
  40. Seve L. Quelles contradictions? A propos de Piaget, Vygotsky et Marx [What contradictions? Piaget, Vygotsky and Marx]. In Yves Clot (Ed.). Avec Vygotsky [With Vygotsky]. Paris: La Dispute, 2002.
  41. Shames C. Dialectics and the theory of individuality. Psychology & Social Theory, 4. 1984.
  42. Tobach E. The uniqueness of human labor. In L. Martin, K. Nelson, & E. Tobach (Eds.). Sociocultural psychology: Theory and practice of doing and knowing. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1995.
  43. Tobach E. Activity Theory and the Concept of Integrative Levels. In Y. Engestrm, R. Miettinen & Raija Leena. Punamaki (Eds.). Perspectives on activity theory. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1999.
  44. Tobach E. Evolution, genetics and psychology: The crisis in psychology Vygotsky, Luria, and leontiev revisited. In S. Chaiklin, M. Hedegaard, & U. J. Jensen (Eds.). Activity theory and social practice: Culturalhistorical approaches.Aarhus, Denmark: Aarhus University Press, 1999.
  45. Van der Veer R., & Valsiner J. Understanding Vygotsky. A quest for synthesis. Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1991.
  46. Veresov N. Undiscovered Vygotsky: Etudes on the prehistory of culturalhistorical psychology. Frankfurt am Main; New York: Peter Lang, 1999.
  47. Vergnaud G. Lev Vygotski: Pedagogue et penseur de notre temps [Lev Vygotski: Educator and thinker of our time]. Paris: Hachette Education, 2000.
  48. Vygodskaia G. L. Preface. Journal of Russian and East European Psychology, 37(2). 1999.
  49. Vygodskaia G. L., & Lifanova T. M. Part 1: Life and works of L. S. Vygotsky. Journal of Russian and East European Psychology, 37 (2). 1999.
  50. Vygodskaia G. L., & Lifanova T. M. Part 2: Life and works of L.S. Vygotsky. Journal of Russian and East European Psychology, 37 (3). 1999.
  51. Vygodskaia G. L., & Lifanova T. M. Part 3: Life and works of L. S. Vygotsky. Journal of Russian and East European Psychology, 37 (4). 1999.
  52. Vygodskaia G. L., & Lifanova T. M. Part 4: Life and Works of L. S. Vygotsky. Journal of Russian and East European Psychology, 37 (5). 1999.
  53. Vygotsky L. S. The psychology of art. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Presss, 1971.
  54. Vygotsky L. S. The methods of reflexological and psychological investigation. 1999. In The collected works of L. S. Vygotsky. Problems of the theory and history of psychology (Vol. 3). New York: Plenum Press. Original work, 1924.
  55. Vygotsky L. S. The historical meaning of the psychological crisis: A methodological investigation. In The collected works of L. S. Vygotsky. Problems of the theory and history of psychology (Vol. 3). New York: Plenum Press, 1999.
  56. Vygotsky L. S. Concrete human psychology. Soviet Psychology, 27 (2). 1989.
  57. Wallon H. Psychologie et materialisme dialectique [Psychology and dialectical materialism]. Enfance, 1-2, 31-34. 1951/1963.
  58. Wallon H. Psychologie animale et psychologie humaine [Animal psychology and human psychology]. La Pensee, 57. 1954.
  59. Wallon H. Psychologie et dialectique [Psychology and dialectic]. Paris: Messidor/Editions Sociales, 1990.
  60. Wertsch J. (Ed.) Culture, communication and cognition: Vygotskian perspectives. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1985.
  61. Wink J., & Putney L. G. A vision of Vygotsky. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2002.
  62. Zazzo R. L'oeuvre d'Henri Wallon a la lumiere du Marxisme [Wallon's work in the light of Marxism]. La Pensee, 31, 1950.
  63. Zazzo R. Psychologie et marxisme: La vie et l'oeuvre d'Henri Wallon [Psychology and marxism: The life and the work of Henri Wallon]. Paris: Denoel/Gonthier, 1975.
  64. Zazzo R. Psychologie et marxisme [Psychology and marxism]. Bulletin de Psychologie, 48. 1995.
  65. Zazzo R. (Eds.). Psychologie et Marxisme [Psychology and Marxism]. Paris: Union Generale d'Editions, 1991.

Information About the Authors

Mohamed Elhammoumi, Associate professor department of Psychology, College of Social Sciences, University Of Imam Muhammad Bin Saud Riyadh, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Metrics

Views

Total: 3495
Previous month: 4
Current month: 4

Downloads

Total: 1163
Previous month: 3
Current month: 1