On Vygotsky's Idea of Consciousness in His Early Works

Abstract

A significant point in Vygotsky's cultural-historical theory is that he explains the genesis and development of consciousness peculiar to human being through the medium of sings (especially speech). In this theory, he applies creatively dialectical materialism to psychology. But it is not true to say that Vygotsky could accomplish his cultural-historical theory at a time. Although his career as a psychologist was very short, we can find some stages-such as germinal, formative and matured ones-in the developmental process of his theory. This paper aims examine Vygotsky's idea of consciousness in his early works. In them Vygotsky did not yet sufficiently form the cultural-historical theory ; rather he was taken with a physiological understanding of consciousness within the framework of reflex theory. On the other hand, however, in his idea of consciousness at this stage he pays special attention to connection of speech with consciousness (thinking) and he also suggests a way to research into consciousness through the medium of speech. Namely, we can find a germ of his cultural-historical theory.