Manolis Dafermos

Vygotsky’s analysis of the crisis in psychology: Diagnosis, treatment, and relevance

The theoretical analysis of the crisis in psychology is one of the most important contributions of Vygotsky, which has yet remained undervalued by the majority of modern scholars. For Vygotsky, the crisis in psychology is not a simple expression of the existence of separate and competitive theories and approaches, but a result of fundamental theoretical and philosophical tensions in the domain of psychology and also the tension between existing psychological theories and rapidly growing practice. Vygotsky attempted, on the basis of a dialectical method, to elaborate a theoretical framework which can explain the meaning of the crisis in psychology and contribute to defining a strategy for its resolution. In this article I will also discuss the relevance of Vygotsky’s analysis for the consideration of some crucial theoretical issues in psychology (integration of psychological knowledge, relationship between academic psychology and professional practice, etc.).

The social drama of Greece in times of economic crisis: The role of psychological therapies

Over the past three years, Greece has been in the throes of economic and social crises. The crises have been triggered by the implementation of severe austerity policies and have been connected with negative effects on people’s mental health and well-being. Consequently, psychological therapies have been instigated to respond to the arising systemic and political problems such as unemployment, deprivation and economic oppression. Traditional modes of intervention based on individualization, depoliticization and pathologization are hard pressed to help people confront such issues. Could mainstream approaches prevail? Using the mythical and tragic hero Prometheus, this review focuses on how psychotherapists and counsellors can help people who have been confronting insurmountable problems to reflect on the meaning of human suffering and develop active resistance against unjust authority in adverse conditions.

The Primary Appearance of Cultural-Historical Psychology

This chapter turns to the period of the primary appearance of cultural-historical theory. The study of the role of sign mediating activity in the cultural development of higher mental functions marks the primary appearance of cultural-historical theory. Cultural development was examined by Vygotsky as a distinct line of development in relation to biological-evolutionary development. Vygotsky and his colleagues developed an experimental-genetic method for the investigation of the development of higher mental functions. Establishing a concrete human psychology in terms of drama served as a way for the theoretical and methodological refoundation of psychology as a discipline.

Epilogue: The Relevance of Vygotsky’s Legacy

This chapter takes as its point of departure the view that Vygotsky’s theory should be recontextualized and fundamentally developed as part of a much larger set of major questions arising in the early twenty-first century. It is argued that dialectics can shed light on the way to move beyond both the dogmatic and relativist forms of the reception of Vygotsky’s legacy. Rethinking Vygotsky’s project, taking into account the contemporary crisis in social sciences that were reproduced in a society riven by deep crises and conflicts, is an important step in this direction. Bringing together theory and practice in a dialectical way Vygotsky’s project is internally connected with an active engagement in the struggle for social emancipation.

The Historical and Scientific Background to the Genesis of Cultural-Historical Theory

This chapter is dedicated to the analysis of the historical and scientific background of the genesis of cultural-historical theory. It is proposed to conceptualize Vygotsky’s theory in the broader context of the history of psychology and philosophy. Particular emphasis is given to the analysis of the crisis of psychology and its various interpretations which were carried out in the late 19th and early 20th century. It is argued that the tension between objectivism and subjectivism can be considered as one of the most important expressions of the crisis in psychology. The chapter includes also an account of an intriguing discussion on crisis and the ways to overcome it in Soviet philosophy and psychology in 1920s.

Exploring the Philosophical Underpinnings of Cultural-Historical Theory

This chapter explores the philosophical underpinnings of cultural-historical theory. More precisely, this chapter traces the philosophical roots of Vygotsky’s theory by focusing mainly on the philosophical ideas of Spinoza, Hegel, Feuerbach, and Marx. Vygotsky found the roots of the crisis in psychology in the failure of Cartesian dualism that was the dominant tendency in the domain of psychology. He was looking for a philosophical theory which allows a radically new look at the key theoretical, methodological, and practical issues raised in psychology as a discipline.

The Formation of Cultural-Historical Theory

The chapter turns to the period of the formation of Vygotsky’s theory. In the last few years of his life, Vygotsky was not satisfied with the level of development of his own theory. He reformulated his own theory in order to respond to the theoretical and practical challenges that arose in the process of his development both as a scholar and practitioner. Vygotsky developed a set of new concepts such as a psychological system, meaning and sense, perezhivanie, the social situation of development, the crisis that enabled him to investigate consciousness and cultural development in a new light. During that period, serious tensions and disagreements appeared within Vygotsky’s circle on important theoretical and methodological issues, first of all, about the relation between consciousness and activity.

Developing a Dialectical Perspective on Vygotsky’s Theory

The chapter proposes an alternative, dialectical reading of Vygotsky’s theory that may help us better understand its philosophical underpinnings. The chapter starts with a brief sketch of the history of dialectics. Αn attempt will be made to define dialectics and its main historical forms. Then, three key methodological issues of dialectics will be examined and its relations to Vygotsky’s theory: the relation between essence and phenomenon, the ascent from the abstract to the concrete and its relation to the movement of thinking from the sensory concrete to the abstract and the relation between the logical and historical method. The chapter includes also a reflection on the dialectical method and its application to psychology in the USSR.

A Preliminary Sketch of Vygotsky’s Theory

The chapter proposes a preliminary delineation of Vygotsky’s theory. More concretely, the chapter addresses the question of the core subject matters in Vygotsky’s creative laboratory. It is argued that consciousness was the core subject matter of Vygotsky’s investigation during different stages of his life course. This key problem in Vygotsky’s creative laboratory has been ignored in the domain of psychology as well as in the contemporary Vygotskian academy. Vygotsky was also grappling with the issue of development from a cultural-historical perspective. In the same chapter, the debate about the periodization of the development of Vygotsky’s theory is considered critically. The treatment of Vygotsky’s theory in historical perspective is also proposed as a developing research project.

The Prehistory of Cultural-Historical Theory

The chapter offers an account of the prehistory of Vygotsky’s theory. More concretely, the chapter provokes an engagement with the conceptual and methodological issues that arose in Vygotsky’s creative development before the emergence of cultural-historical theory. Here is analyzed the shift in Vygotsky’s world-view orientation from subjectivism to natural-scientific, objective analysis of consciousness. Having passed through reflexology and behaviorism, Vygotsky never identified himself fully with these approaches due to his humanitarian education. It is proposed that Vygotsky’s effort to transcend the divide between objectivism and subjectivism as an essential dimension of the crisis in psychology can be examined as an attempt to overcome contradictions in his own research.