Summary
Contents
Subject index
This major new textbook by Jaan Valsiner focuses on the interface between cultural psychology and developmental psychology. Intended for students from undergraduate level upwards, the book provides a wide-ranging overview of the cultural perspective on human development, with illustrations from pre-natal development to adulthood. A key feature is the broad coverage of theoretical and methodological issues which have relevance to this truly interdisciplinary field of enquiry encompassing developmental psychology, cultural anthropology and comparative sociology. The text is organized into five coherent parts: Part 1: Developmental theory and methodology; Part 2: Analysis of environments for human development Part 3:
Cultural Organization of Human Life Environments
Cultural Organization of Human Life Environments
Human development is taking place under conditions that are increasingly distanced from the ‘natural world’. What does that mean in terms of ordinary human thinking? A person wanders around in a street and sees a cat in a similar activity. The person not only perceives the presence, and movements, of that animal, but immediately begins to make sense of the event in terms of their own personal culture. The animal becomes referred to as ‘this is a cat’, which may become linked with personal affective tone of liking the cat (‘what a kitty!’), or hating it (‘that stray cat in the street’). By personally relating to the cat, the meaning-making person simultaneously distances themself(bywayof ...
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