Re: Leontiev's Cultural Psych.

From: Carl Ratner (cr2@humboldt1.com)
Date: Sat Nov 04 2000 - 14:56:47 PST


Now that we have finished reading Leontiev's book I'd like to make an
observation about its relevance for cultural psychology -- and activity
theory. I've noticed that Leont. often states that "In all of its
distinctness, the activity of the human individual represents a system
included in the system of relationships of society. Outside these
relationships human activity simply does not exist. Just how it exists is
determined by those forms and material and spiritual means (Verkehr) that
result from the development of production and that cannot be realized
otherwise than in the concrete activity of people." (chap. 3). What's
paradoxical to me is that he hardly ever discusses any particular
relationships of society or concrete activity of people. He never uses the
term capitalism or socialism which are particular relationships of society.
And he hardly ever mentions the concrete social organization of activities
such as work, family, medicine, education, government. In the entire book he
only refers to social class twice and to alienation once. And he only spends
a few sentences on them. The entire rest of the book ignores the concrete
social relationships of people. It talks in general terms of hierarchical
arrangements of personality traits, about the transformation of subjectivity
into objectivity, about the mediated nature of stimulus-response, about
affective signals for emotions. While these are impt. ideas, they don't
touch on the cultural aspects of human psych.
  I believe this is typical of the entire Russian/Soviet approach to
activity theory and cultural-historical psych. It fails to deliver its
promise to relate psych. to concerete social activity. I think this is a
major failure that must be corrected if activity theory is to be realized
and if a concrete cultural psych. is to be developed.
  The failure is understandable in terms of the Stalinist domination of
social policies. Academics were prevented from touching on social/political
questions under that regime. However, contemporary Western academics need to
use their political freedom to develop activity theory along the lines
proposed by Leont. and Vyg but unfulfilled by them.
  In a side note, it seems that activity theory is under attack from some
unlikely quarters in contemporary social science. The latest issue of the
journal Culture & Psychology (Sept. 2000) carries an article entitled,
"Activity Theory is a Dead End for Cultural-Historical Psychology."

-- 
Carl Ratner, Ph.D.
cr2@humboldt1.com
http://www.humboldt1.com/~cr2

P.O.B. 1294 Trinidad, CA 95570 USA

> From: "Nate Schmolze" <nate_schmolze@yahoo.com> > Reply-To: xmca@weber.ucsd.edu > Date: Sun, 22 Oct 2000 07:29:53 -0500 > To: <xmca@weber.ucsd.edu> > Subject: RE: Two Approaches in Psychology > Resent-From: xmca@weber.ucsd.edu > Resent-Date: Sun, 22 Oct 2000 05:24:23 -0700 (PDT) > > The article Andy mentioned is on the MCA Leontev page at > http://communication.ucsd.edu/MCA/Paper/leontev/index.html. The subject / > object piece can be found directly at > http://communication.ucsd.edu/MCA/Paper/leontev/essay_77.htm. > > Nate > > -----Original Message----- > From: Andy Blunden [mailto:andy@mira.net] > Sent: Sunday, October 22, 2000 3:38 AM > To: xmca@weber.ucsd.edu > Subject: Re: Two Approaches in Psychology > > > This first part of Leontyev's Chapter addresses the age-old problem of > subject and object, and doesn't our discussion show how eternal it is! I > think the translation problems - important in themselves in trying to get > to the author's meaning and context, and concretising our understanding - > still, it's all around this same problem. > > "THUS, the object of activity is two-fold; first, in its independent > existence as subordinating to itself and transforming the activity of the > subject; second, as an image of the object, as a product of the > psychological reflection that is realised as an activity of the subject and > cannot exist otherwise." > > I have scanned the article in "Philosophy in the USSR" (which included > Ilyenkov's article on the Ideal and Leontyev's article) by Lektorsky > devoted to Subject-Object, and emailed it to Nate. Nate, can you post it on > the MIA and let people know the URL? > > Andy > > > > ____________________________ > At 05:26 PM 16/10/2000 +1000, you wrote: >> Leontyev summarises the first part of Ch. 3 "Two Approaches in Psychology" >> as follows: >> _________________________________________________________ >> "The main thesis, the substantiation of which will be presented in a >> subsequent work, is that the real way to overcome this postulate [of >> directness, i.e. S->R], ... is through the introduction into psychology of >> the category of object activity. >> "... The question is one of activity, and not one of behavior or the >> neurophysiological processes that produce activity. The fact is that the >> “units” isolated by analysis and language, with the help of which >> behavioral, cerebral, or logical processes are described on the one hand, >> and objective activity on the other, do not agree with one another. "... >> either keep the basic binomial formula: action of the object -> change in >> ongoing condition of the subject ..., or devise a trinomial formula >> including a middle link - the activity of the subject and, correspondingly, >> conditions, goals, and means of that activity — a link that mediates the >> ties between them. >> "We will take either the position that consciousness is determined by the >> surrounding objects and phenomena, or the position that consciousness is >> determined by the social existence of people ... >> "But what is human life? It is that totality, more precisely, that system >> of activities replacing one another. ... activity appears as a process in >> which mutual transfers between the poles “subject-object” are accomplished. >> “In production the personality is objectivized; in need the thing is >> subjectivized,” noted Marx" >> _________________________________________________________ >> >> Can I go on? >> >> Andy >> >> +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ >> | - Andy Blunden - Home Page - http://home.mira.net/~andy/index.htm - | >> | All mysteries which lead theory to mysticism find their rational | >> | solution in human practice and in the comprehension of this practice.| >> +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ >> >> > +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ > | - Andy Blunden - Home Page - http://home.mira.net/~andy/index.htm - | > | All mysteries which lead theory to mysticism find their rational | > | solution in human practice and in the comprehension of this practice.| > +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ > >



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