%0 Journal Article
%T The meaning and origin of the activity concept in Soviet psychology¡ªwith primary focus on A. N. Leontiev¡¯s approach
%A Seth Chaiklin
%J Theory & Psychology
%@ 1461-7447
%D 2019
%R 10.1177/0959354319828208
%X 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
%K activity
%K Leontiev
%K materialist psychology
%K practice
%K Russian psychology
%U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0959354319828208