THE PERIODIZATION OF HUMAN ACTIVITY FOR VYGOTSKI, LEONTIEV AND ELKONIN:

Abstract

The understanding of the concrete, non-dualistic human being with dialectical bases has been a concern since the first generation of the Soviet psychological school. The studies elaborated by this school, later denominated Historical-Cultural Psychology, subsidized the understanding that throughout the life, when performing activities to maintain its survival, the human being modifies its external and internal conditions, that is, it modifies the environment in which lives and their psychic functions. In the present article, the objective is to analyze the periodization of human activity in Vygotski (1896-1934), Leontiev (1903-1979) and Elkonin (1904-1984), in the search for elements that interpose continuities or ruptures of their bases. These are three classic authors who give psychological foundation to the studies of Historical-Critical Pedagogy and that although they belong to the same psychological school, they bring different emphases to think periodization. In order to reach the desired goal, a search of the classic texts of these authors was made available in Portuguese and Spanish, and a comparative table was drawn from the main periods: early childhood, childhood, adolescence and adult life. The line of defense adopted is that the periodization studies presented by Leontiev and Elkonin are a continuation of Vygotsky's studies. The latter devoted himself more to internal questions, to raising the level of psychic development, while still considering it to be dependent on the situation of concrete life. Already Leontiev and Elkonin further explore the influence of social activity on psychic development and established relationships, based on the categories of dominant activity.