Constructing and Deconstructing the Self: Comparing Post-Vygotskian and Discourse-Based Versions of Social Constructivism

Stetsenko, Anna; Arievitch, Igor M.

doi:10.1207/s15327884mca0403_3

Cited by 71 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Social discourse is taken to be an autonomous and omnipotent realm that produces human subjectivity and the self, and the latter are presented as ephemeral, fleeting and relatively powerless artifacts of social discourse (cf. Dunn, 1997;Holland, 1997;Stetsenko & Arievitch, 1997).…”

Section: Self As Fused With Context/practicementioning

confidence: 99%

The Self in Cultural-Historical Activity Theory

Stetsenko

Arievitch

2004

Theory & Psychology

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216

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Abstract. This paper suggests a framework in which the importance of the individual dimension and agency can be reclaimed within a profoundly social and relational view of the self. Juxtaposed with recent research on the self, cultural-historical activity theory is discussed, including its foundational premises formulated by Vygotsky and its conception of the self articulated by Leontiev. Expanded in a number of ways proposed in this paper, this theory helps to theorize the self (a) in its practical relevance, as a lawful and necessary moment in human collective practices, (b) as endowed with the capacity to generate new cycles of practice, and (c) as immanent in activities that position individuals to contribute to meaningfully changing the world. The concept of 'self as a leading activity' is discussed as a way to capture what the self is, where it is located, and what its purpose and relation to society are.Key Words: agency, cultural-historical activity theory, development, dialectical, Leontiev, personality, self, social-individual dichotomy, Vygotsky Although much of psychology today remains devoted to the cognitivist agenda of studying human functioning as context-free information processing in individual minds, there is a powerful current of ideas, both in psychology and in neighboring disciplines, that contests the most cherished individualist assumptions of cognitivism. Perhaps more clearly than in any other field, the research on the self has witnessed a move away from the essentialist and context-independent notions of individual possessions (e.g. personality traits, attributes) toward viewing the self as being embedded within sociocultural contexts and intrinsically interwoven with them. The recent approaches to the self, although united in their quest to overcome the extreme individualism of traditional accounts by capitalizing on sociocultural contexts, vary greatly in how the very notions of the self, contextTheory & Psychology

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Section: Self As Fused With Context/practicementioning

confidence: 99%

The Self in Cultural-Historical Activity Theory

Stetsenko

Arievitch

2004

Theory & Psychology

Self Cite

216

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“…Gal'perin's framework may potentially provide the key component for a new approach to development, envisioned by Vygotsky and currently pursued by many working in sociocultural tradition [for reviews, see Cole, 1996;Rogoff & Chavajay, 1995;Stetsenko & Arievitch, 1997]. Indeed, Gal'perin's perspective, through revealing the content of the processes that link learning and development, adds an important insight into what constitutes developmental change.…”

Section: Summary and Implications For Developmental Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Quality of Cultural Tools and Cognitive Development: Gal’perin’s Perspective and Its Implications<sup>1</sup>

Arievitch

Stetsenko

2000

Human Development

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Vygotsky theorized that instruction plays a key part in cognitive development by providing culturally evolved cognitive tools which, once internalized by the child, mediate and advance the child’s cognitive functioning. Gal’perin further elaborated this approach arguing that it is the quality (specific character) of cognitive tools (such as concepts, criteria, schemas) acquired by the child that to a large extent defines the specifics of cognitive development. He theoretically explicated and empirically tested an alternative type of instruction which, unlike traditional instruction, directly generated cognitive development by providing cognitive tools of a higher quality (based on theoretical concepts as opposed to empirical concepts). The often overlooked yet important implications of Gal’perinian perspective are: 1) that there is a need for the theory of development to conceptualize and integrate the processes related to learning, and 2) that most existing theories of development capture just one possible version of development – the version that is bound to deficient cognitive tools employed in the currently dominating type of instruction.

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“…A constructivist perspective supports this idea and may elicit some of the meaning within these connections. Stetsenko and Arievitch (2010) argue that the constructivist approach is not easily applied to research or practice. A discourse-based perspective to social constructivism attests that "language is…a root metaphor for all human action, and conversation, dialogue, as the root model for the analysis of all mental processes" (Stetsenko & Arievitch, 2010, p.162).…”

Section: Barker (2003) Defines Constructivism Asmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This departs from Vykotskian constructivism in how it defines methodologies for the study of human development (Stetsenko & Arievitch, 2010). The authors contend, "discoursebased constructivism asserts that the positivist methods of a naturalist inquiry must be substituted by special epistemological methods" (p. 163) and argue that this process occurs through an exploration of processes involving habitual concepts and seeks to reveal meaning.…”

Section: Barker (2003) Defines Constructivism Asmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The experiences of those who have served jury duty

Kyle¹

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This research explores the experiences of those who have served on jury duty in British Columbia. This exploratory, qualitative study was completed using a semi-structured interview with jurors. The inductive approach used in this study provided the opportunity to explore both positive and negative reports related to jury duty. The research results revealed that overall participants valued their experiences as jurors. Findings also suggest many instances of negative impact. The experiences are explored through a constructivist lens and highlight the notion of place as well as the role of community as important to fostering positive juror experiences, while also exploring avenues to better support jurors in the process of completing their civic duty.

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Constructing and Deconstructing the Self: Comparing Post-Vygotskian and Discourse-Based Versions of Social Constructivism

Cited by 71 publications

References 27 publications

The Self in Cultural-Historical Activity Theory

The Self in Cultural-Historical Activity Theory

The Quality of Cultural Tools and Cognitive Development: Gal’perin’s Perspective and Its Implications<sup>1</sup>

The experiences of those who have served jury duty

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