>Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2000 13:46:42 +0200
>To: xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
>From: Victor Kaptelinin <vklinin@informatik.umu.se>
>Subject: Leontiev, Valsiner, and individual activities
>Cc:
>Bcc:
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>
>Dear All,
>
>Unfortunately, I have not read The Guided Mind so I have to rely on the
>quotations in Carl's message. In my view, these quotations do not seem
>to be in any contradiction to Leontiev's thinking. On the contrary, in
>Chapter 1 Leontiev is saying practically the same:
>
>"Of course, the development of consciousness in every individual does not
>repeat the social-historical process of the formation of consciousness.
>Neither does a conscious reflection of the world spring up in the
>individual as a result of a direct projection on his brain of the ideas
>and concepts worked out by preceding generations. His consciousness is too
>is a product of his activity in an object world." (Chapter 1, pp. 18-19)
>
>Therefore, both Leontiev and Valsiner emphasize the role of individual
>activities as the source of "consciousness" or "personal worlds". Also,
>they both seem to claim that the relationship between culture and society,
>on the one hand, and individual activities, on the other hand, is not
>straightforward. In my opinion "ACTIVE ignoring and neutralization of =8A
>social suggestions " can be considered a way of appropriation in a broad
>sense.
>
>Best,
>Victor Kaptelinin
>
>
>
>>
>> A serious reading of Valsiner's recent works reveals that he has
>>repudiated most of Vygotsky's concepts and all of marx's. While Valsiner h=
as
>>contributed greatly to our understanding of Vyg. he does not subscribe to
>>those principles now (if he ever did personally). For ex., in his Guided
>>Mind he says: "most of human development takes place through active
>>ignoring and neutralization of most of the social suggestions to which the
>>person is subjected in everyday life." In a recent article w. Vasconcellas=
,
>>Valsiner writes: "The child...utilizes the collective culturally meaningfu=
l
>>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 relevan=
t
>>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.
>> Sincerely, Carl
>>--
>>Carl Ratner, Ph.D.
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