Contributions of Imagination to the Process of Development and Education: An Analysis Based on Historical-Cultural Psychology

Abstract

This theoretical article aims to present a research group’s understanding about the concept of imagination from the perspective of Historical-Cultural Psychology, focusing, above all, on the ideas developed by Vigotski and some of his interlocutors. Based on this perspective, imagination is understood as a higher psychological function responsible for creating horizons, freeing the subject from his concrete reality. By enabling, intertwined with thought, the subject reaches abstract ways of thinking, the imagination assumes great relevance in the teaching/learning process, being fundamental, therefore, to the actions developed at school. It is also intended, in this article, to reflect about the concept of freedom in relation to the imagination, aiming to highlight the importance of imaginative processes for the subject’s development. Furthermore, an analysis is carried out in relation to the concept of freedom, as proposed by Historical-Cultural Psychology and its relationship with imagination. The article ends by highlighting the need for advances in the understanding of imagination and its importance in promoting the adolescents’ development and in appropriating school knowledge.