IN response to Charles Nelson's question about how we tie diverse viewpoints
together:
I think that one has to decide on the essential concepts/elements of a
viable cultural psychological approach. These need to be logically coherent
among themselves. All the related facets of the approach should be logically
coherent as well. I think this is the essence of scientific thinking.
Einstein explained this in great detail. He firmly believed in identifying a
small core of essential principles that underlie all phenomena. In
developing a cultural psychology, IF we agree w. Marx & Leontiev that the
social organization of activities is basic to psychological phenomena, and
that the social relations of production are the most impt. activity within a
social system, then all of our concepts about self, agency, personality,
emotions, cognition, mental illness, etc. would have to construe these as
originating in, bearing the characteristics of, and functioning to
recapitulate the social organization of activities, and especially of
economic activity. Any concepts about psychological change would also have
to be related to concepts of social change.
These, of course, are all daunting questions. But I believe that this is
the general approach that cultural psychs. need to explore. It would
comprise a logically coherent conceptual system. I don't think that progress
will be made by trying to combine antithetical conceptual viewpoints such as
marxism + individualism + Freudianism. That's why I believe it is impt. to
distinguish conceptual systems, decide which is primary, and then extract
elements of other systems that can be logically integrated with the basic
one.
Does this make sense?
Carl
-- Carl Ratner, Ph.D. cr2@humboldt1.com http://www.humboldt1.com/~cr2P.O.B. 1294 Trinidad, CA 95570 USA
> From: Charles Nelson <c.nelson@mail.utexas.edu> > Reply-To: xmca@weber.ucsd.edu > Date: Sat, 30 Sep 2000 13:55:45 -0700 > To: xmca@weber.ucsd.edu > Subject: Re: Leontiev > Resent-From: xmca@weber.ucsd.edu > Resent-Date: Sat, 30 Sep 2000 11:50:55 -0700 (PDT) > > Carl wrote: > >> In a recent article w. Vasconcellas, >> Valsiner writes: "The child...utilizes the collective culturally meaningful >> surroundings to build his or her personal understanding of the world. The >> ways in which the latter is constructed are the child's own - each child >> creates a unique personal world." >> Clearly, Valsiner rejects the notion of socialization and the cultural >> organization of mind/psychology. He replaces a social conception of psych. >> and personality w. a highly personal conception that individuals insulate >> themselves from culture and construct unique personal worlds. Let's not >> confuse individualism w. cultural psych., and certainly not w. marxism. >> This is tangential to the issue of Leontiev's thinking, but it's relevant >> to the issue of marxism, culture, and psych. If marxism and culture are to >> be relevant to psych., we must focus on the essential features of these >> concepts and distinguish them from individualistic notions. > > After distinguishing them, how do we tie them together? > > Charles Nelson > > > >
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