Chapter 4 - Thinking in Sociocultural Psychology

Summary

In order to theorise the pleasure of thinking, this book builds on sociocultural psychology. Chapter 4 first goes back to Lev Vygotsky’s propositions on thinking, which open possible ways to address affects in thinking. In the second part, it explores the work of three contemporary theoreticians, all building a semiotic cultural psychology: Jaan Valsiner, who has developed the Vygotskian heritage into a new and creative semiotic cultural psychology, notably drawing on Charles Peirce and open dynamic system theory; Sergio Salvatore, whose semio-dynamic approach also draws on psychoanalysis; and Yair Neuman, who pursues this dialogue with biology and the sciences in his computational cultural psychology. These innovative, albeit demanding, approaches will give us the elements to build a more integrative theoretical framework in the next chapter.