The 7 Best Quotes From Lev Vygotsky

Lev Vygotsky is something like the Mozart of developmental psychology and pedagogy. Lev Semjonowitsch Wygostski lived in what is now Belarus from 1896 to 1934 and was an outstanding psychologist and doctor. He was also a pioneer in neuropsychology and a brilliant theorist in developmental psychology. Strictly speaking, we can say today that his contributions to the relevant research areas were like a revolution. Above all, they were that in the fertile territory formed by psychology and education. Many of Vygotsky’s works addressed:

• The role of language in the mental development of children.
• The role of language in human behavior.
• Gambling as a psychological phenomenon.
• Learning disabilities and impaired mental development.
• The origin and development of the superordinate mental functions.

• The methodology of psychological research.
• The philosophy of science.
• The psychology of art.

The things Vygotsky had communicated were ignored for a very long time. Nevertheless, he never stopped voicing his opinion and defending his hypothesis that culture played a very important role in the development of mental processes.

Below we present the best Vygotsky quotes.

The importance of social interaction

“Togetherness is the origin and the engine of learning.”

The path on which thoughts and behavior develop does not run from the individual to the social. Instead, it runs from the social to the individual. Vygotsky said that learning is a way of appropriating existing cultural heritage. Personal development is not just a process of individual acceptance.

Vygotsky explained that human learning is based on being a social being. That is, it is a process by which children can retrieve what was going on and going on in other people’s brains.

The renunciation of imitation

“As we develop, we simply stop imitating the behavior of others. Or we stop reacting automatically when we are confronted with external stimuli. “

A child soaks up what is offered to him from his environment like a sponge. Even as we get older, we still imitate and react to the environment. However, we are increasingly including our schemes and values.

The definition of knowledge

“Knowledge is the result of the interaction between an individual and his environment, whereby knowledge is understood to be something social and cultural, and not just something physical.”

We first acquire all higher-level psychological processes, i.e. thoughts, language and communication, in a social context. Later we internalize them on an individual level. In essence, there is no better way to learn than one that incorporates experience and its critical evaluation. Because this way of learning allows us to forego imitation, to acquire knowledge and to become independent.

The teacher as a mediator

“The teacher should play the role of facilitator and not that of a person offering content.”

Vygotsky said that learning is like a tower that you have to build piece by piece. It is very closely related to proximal development, social constructivism and scaffolding. A student goes his own way and the teacher accompanies him on it. What a child can do today only with help, it can then do independently tomorrow.

The value of thinking for understanding

“To understand the other’s language, it is not enough to understand his / her words. You have to understand his thoughts. “

In language we have an instrument with which we affirm or deny. Their targeted use presupposes that a person has an awareness of what they are and that they can act out of their free will. Language and thought each have a different origin, but thought becomes language and language becomes reason.

In particular, the language of children is shaped by society and is only internalized later. Children’s cognitive development is encouraged through informal and formal conversations with adults. Children begin to see the world through their eyes and their speech.

The relationship between words and thoughts

“A word without a thought is dead, just as a thought remains in the shadows if it is not accompanied by words.”

This quote addresses the same subject as the previous one. A thought can be compared to a cloud that makes words rain down. Language serves as a means of interaction and as a framework for intellectual development. That is why language is fundamental to thinking.

Social adaptation

“We become ourselves through everyone else.”

Vygotsky thought that social adjustment alone could truly satisfy a need. Let’s keep in mind that culture defines a large part of our needs. A mind cannot be independent of the culture in which it develops. In this sense, we are social beings and not isolated individuals.

Vygotsky talked about complex psychological functions, such as dialogue. He found this very valuable for problem solving. Its philosophy in its positive nature is an attempt to emphasize the importance of our surroundings. This environment has an influence on our development that should not be underestimated.

We are constantly changing. And both culture and experience serve as a compass in our lives.