Vygotsky and the theories of emotions: In search of a possible dialogue

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to articulate Vygotsky's theoretical conceptualizations on Historical-Cultural Psychology with studies on emotions. The text emphasizes Vygotsky's theories on the development of higher psychological processes and mediation of signs in its constitution. We propose a way of understanding emotions based on the historical-cultural approach, starting from a plausible analogy with Vygotsky's ideas on thinking and language. Finally, the construction of such idea on the development of emotions is confronted with research and theories in the field of neuroscience and evolutionary psychology. It was done in order to establish an integrated view of the phenomenon and argue that Vygotsky's theory may continue to generate new knowledge in various fields, such as emotions.