The meaning and origin of the activity concept in Soviet psychology—with primary focus on A. N. Leontiev’s approach

Abstract

The concept of activity in Soviet psychology reflects a fundamental ontological assumption about the dynamic internal relation between person and world, arising from a person’s intentional actions, which draws on historically developed traditions of action. The article gives a deeper understanding of the activity concept by examining the historical process by which the concept was formed, providing a compact conceptual overview of the concept, formulated as a series of assumptions and implications. A conceptual dialectic is offered to explain the historical development of the concept, along with a chronological overview. This analysis shows that the concept of activity emerged collectively among Soviet researchers, and cannot be located as the discovery or introduction by a single person (such as A. N. Leontiev, who is often associated with the concept). It is suggested that a practice concept should be introduced to distinguish historical traditions of action from psychological activity.