The Concept of Activity as the Basis of Research of L. S. Vygotsky’s School of Psychology

Abstract

ABSTRACT The author proves that, despite the opinion prevalent among historians of psychology, the concept of “practical, sensuous activity” was present in Vygotsky’s work from the very beginning of his studies; moreover, it determined their general direction. Following Marx, Vygotsky regarded the tool-based nature of human activity as its specific trait. Psychological activity is likewise mediated by means of tools of a special kind—the “verbal signs”; using these social tools, man masters his own behavior. Having been able to trace the origins of consciousness to practical activity, to “life,” Vygotsky did not go into the concrete specifics of this process and set about searching for the primeval source of consciousness in the “emotional sphere.” His disciple Alexey Leontiev resumed the study of the practical genesis of the psyche, having started a new stage in the development of the cultural–historical theory. In conclusion, the author of the article analyzes the weak points of today’s psychology of activity and points out the necessity of combining the activity-based and the sign–symbolic approaches in the science of man.