اتجاهات علم النفس الروسي: التحول من علم النفس الانعكاسي إلى علم النفس الثقافي – الاجتماعي

Abstract

Psychology was born and developed in the West. Most psychological theories were
constructed by European and American researchers. Russian Psychology was not that well
known or recognized in the Western world. One of the main reasons for this was the
Russian regime which did not let Russian psychologists such as Sitshinof, Bichtirif,
Vigotsky, Luria, tshirnoshifsky and others to go out and publish their theories.
Western theories concentrate on the role and function of Individualism in psychological
development, while Russian theories emphasize the collective perspective in human
development. This difference can be easily identified in the dialogue between the famous
Swiss psychologist Piaget and the young Russian psychologist Vigotsky. Piaget emphasizes
the role of individualism in the cognitive development of children, whereas Vigotsky bases
his work on the role of collectivism in the cognitive development of children
I would like to suggest that theories developed by Russian Psychologists based on
socio- historical perspectives could be more appropriate for our Arab society. As a
collective culture, it has the potential to help us develop new directions for psychological
treatment in many cases where the existing Western psychology fails to give helpful
answers.
This paper deals with the development of the Russian Psychology since the Russian
Empire, through the Communist regime and up to these very days. My purpose is to widen
our awareness and understanding of its unique characteristics and possible contribution to
our work as psychologists in the Arab society.