Vygotsky, Piaget and the Dialectic of Development

Abstract

As interest grows in relating social and individual approaches to development, traditional antipathies between Piagetian and Vygotskian theories are giving way to an interest in understanding relationships between them. A dialectical approach, shared by both theories, is proposed as a framework for understanding these relations. The dialectical approach is first contrasted with Cartesian reductionism as a general scientific methodology and is then related to metatheory in developmental psychology. While the traditional Cartesian approach tends to isolate aspects of complex phenomena into static, decontextualized elements, the dialectical approach of the Vygotskian and Piagetian theories specifically focuses on the study of interrelationship and change. Understood within a dialectical framework, Piagetian and Vygotskian theories can supplement one another in framing developmental research in areas in which more traditional scientific methods have been unsuccessful. Two examples of such research applications demonstrate the utility of dialectically related concepts from Piagetian and Vygotskian theory.