Vygotsky's Solution to Psychology's Crisis

In the 1920s-1930s, Vygotsky diagnosed a deep crisis in psychology. Psychology stood divided into two camps: on one hand, there were reductions of mind to simple causes, and other one only depicted static structures and both ignored real-life human activity. According to Vygotsky, psychology had become detached from practice. The solution he proposed was his cultural-historical theory. He suggested that humans have a biological basis for simple mental processes, while the more complex ones--including logic and deliberate attention--are constructed socially with the help of tools such as language. Learning begins in society, then within the person himself. In rooting psychology in dialectical materialism and concrete activity, Vygotsky offered an integrative scheme. He helped turn psychology away from abstract philosophy into a social science that would influence the world of education, culture, development, and society.