Vygotsky’s unit of analysis and dialectics in thinking and speech

Abstract

This article examines the importance of the dialectical method in Vygotsky’s research on verbal thinking. Specifically, it demonstrates the relationship between the unit of analysis in Thinking and Speech and the dialectical method followed by Marx in Capital, along with presenting the different stages of a child’s thinking (syncretism, complexive thinking and conceptual thinking) that emerged as a result of Vygotsky’s historical–logical research. Ultimately, this article argues that Vygotsky’s Thinking and Speech is compatible with Marxism and activity theory.