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
People's behavior makes sense if you think about it in terms of their goals, needs, and motives.
Thomas MannRead
Such is human psychology that if we don't express our joy, we soon cease to feel it.
Lin YutangRead
I'm fascinated by the ways in which people express themselves, because their responses are often counter to what they're actually feeling. Like when they're frightened, they tend to freeze. When they're angry, it doesn't always come out as volume. There are wonderful contradictions in the way that people express their emotions.
Edward NortonRead
It may be true in the case of autism that if you start off with a deficit in terms of empathy or mind reading, you've just got more time to devote to understanding the world by systemizing.
Simon Baron-CohenRead
People repeat in adult life emotions they experience in childhood. Many of the people whom I spent the last 30 or 40 years treating at so much per minute wouldn't have needed any treatment at all if they had had the right care as children.
Karl A. MenningerRead
Crazy people made him crazy. It was as if he personally resented them giving into madness - in part, because he so frequently labored to behave sanely. When some people gave up the labor of sanity, or failed at it, Garp suspected them of not trying hard enough.
John IrvingRead