3 - The problem of consciousness in Vygotsky’s cultural-historical psychology

Summary

Consciousness is one of the most "inconvenient" objects of psychological research. This chapter outlines the basic challenges for a theory of consciousness in order to suggest a direction in which contemporary psychology may develop and discusses the scope of these challenges. It provides a reconstruction of Lev Vygotsky's conception of consciousness in its evolution throughout his scholarly life. The chapter gives the main definitions of consciousness in Vygotsky's works. It describes the different ideas on consciousness in the general context of Vygotsky's cultural-historical theory. The chapter presents a critical analysis of the theory of consciousness from the perspective of its own "zone of proximal development" and its contemporary relevance. The analysis of Vygotsky's theory of consciousness shows that the perspectives of this theory are enormous, but they remain mere perspectives to date because the theory is still at the initial stage of its development.