Vygotsky's theory on the Procrustes’ bed of linear thinking: Looking for structural–systemic Theseus to save the idea of ‘social formation of mind’

Abstract

Today Vygotsky's theory is usually associated with a short list of ideas: which includes social formation of the human mind, zone of proximal development, semiotic mediation, and egocentric and inner speech. Vygotsky's theory contains these and many other ideas indeed. In today's interpretation, however, all the mentioned ideas are transformed into slogans with trivial content or even into a set of statements that contradict many facts known about the functioning of the human body and human mind. Vygotsky relied explicitly on epistemology I have called structural-systemic. According to this epistemology, in order to understand human mind scientifically, its structure needs to be discovered. The studies need to reveal the elements from which the mind is composed, the specific relationships between the elements, and qualities of the whole that emerges in the synthesis of the elements. Only developmental studies can answer these questions because the properties of the elements change when integrated into a whole. His epistemology can be opposed to that dominant today, which aims only to the discovery of relationships between events, to the discovery of ''causes'' that make the ''effect'' to happen. In Vygotskian structural-systemic perspective, the same theoretical ideas acquire meanings very different from modern interpretations.

(Re)Introducing Vygotsky’s Thought: From Historical Overview to Contemporary Psychology

“…A systemic approach in the sciences generally stands in opposition to the reductionist approach (Toomela, 2015). In the field of psychology, for example, the reductionist approach is commonly associated with Cartesian thinking and modular approaches (Toomela, 2003).…”

“…Drawing on a systemic approach in sciences, Vygotsky viewed a unified system as consisting of interdependent elements (Toomela, 2015). In this system, every element has properties that are subject to that system’s function, and no element can be changed without affecting the whole system.…”

“…Some researchers suggest this crisis might be resolved with improvements in general theory and the adoption of alternative statistical techniques. For example, Valsiner and Van der Veer (2014) and Toomela (2015) argue that psychology has adopted inferential statistics that are conceptually inadequate for investigating psychological processes. Similarly, a number of developmental researchers (van de Schoot et al, 2014) argue for the adoption of Bayesian statistics in developmental research.…”

Culture & Psychology: 25 Constructive years

“…This integrated structure, thus, is through senses in contact with the external reality and at the same time, through sign operations, is able to go beyond sensory, to hypothesize similarities in differences and differences in similarities. (Toomela, 2015, p. 331, added emphasis)It is the hierarchically integrated structure—accomplished through sign mediation—that makes any re- constructive memory act in principle possible. Higher psychological functions—intentional attending to, and perceiving of, selected features of the environment are made meaningful in ways that go beyond the information given under the present circumstances.…”

“…This integrated structure, thus, is through senses in contact with the external reality and at the same time, through sign operations, is able to go beyond sensory, to hypothesize similarities in differences and differences in similarities. (Toomela, 2015, p. 331, added emphasis)…”