What children can do with the assistance of others might be in some sense even more indicative of their mental development than what they can do alone
Lev S. VygotskyRead
Psychology teaches us at every step that though two types of activity can have the same external manifestation, whether in origin or essence, their nature may differ most profoundly.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Activities might look similar on the surface, but their underlying nature can be vastly different.
Vygotsky's quote emphasizes the importance of understanding the intrinsic motivations and origins behind seemingly similar behaviors. It suggests that two actions that appear the same can arise from entirely different psychological processes, underscoring the complexity of human behavior and the need for deeper analysis in psychology to grasp these differences.
Themes
PsychologyBehaviorMotivationActionDifference
In practice
Example use cases
In a psychology class discussion about behavioral analysis.
More from Lev S. Vygotsky
All quotes βThe child begins to perceive the world not only through his [or her] eyes but also through his [or her] speech
Lev S. VygotskyRead
It may be said that the basic characteristic of human behavior in general is that humans personally influence their relations with the environment and through that environment personally change their behavior, subjugating it to their control.
Lev S. VygotskyRead
Language is the tool of the tools
Lev S. VygotskyRead
There is reason to believe that voluntary activity, more than highly developed intellect, distinguishes humans from the animals which stand closest to them.
Lev S. VygotskyRead
Thought is not merely expressed in words, it comes into existence through them
Lev S. VygotskyRead
Similar quotes
Psychology should be just as concerned with building strength as with repairing damage
Martin SeligmanRead
The healthy man does not torture others - generally it is the tortured who turn into torturers.
Carl JungRead
The ego refuses to be distressed by the provocations of reality, to let itself be compelled to suffer. It insists that it cannot be affected by the traumas of the external world; it shows, in fact, that such traumas are no more than occasions for it to gain pleasure.
Sigmund FreudRead
I hesitate to use a pathologizing label, but underneath the so-called narcissistic personality is definitely shame and the paralyzing fear of being ordinary.
Brene BrownRead
If aspects of the person remain undigested-cut off, denied, projected, rejected, indulged, or otherwise unassimilated-they become the points around which the core forces of greed, hatred and delusion attach themselves.
Mark EpsteinRead
More and more research is suggesting that, far from being simply encoded in the genes, much of personality is a flexible and dynamic thing that changes over the life span and is shaped by experience.
Carol S. DweckRead