Sustainable development of the personality starts from childhood
This is not a rhetorical question. If you would like, you can write your thoughts on this issue through the Contact form.
The ratio between two thinking systems, according to Kahneman, and two education systems
Fact 1. Do you know that in 2002, Kahneman was awarded the Nobel Prize in Behavioural Economics? He concluded that, in 95% of cases, consumers make an emotional choice to buy something. And in most cases, a person later regrets having made the choice based on their spontaneous impulses. Kahneman called this kind of thinking "System 1" or "Quick Thinking."
Unlike "System 2" or "Slow Thinking," which is guided by rationality or critical thinking, it requires more energy and time. Time is not only for decision-making. But it is also time for shaping. Theoretical thinking is not formed by itself. It requires a goal and special educational conditions.
Fact 2. And here is one more fact. In 1960, a psychological-pedagogical formative experiment, known as developmental learning, began in two scientific laboratories in Moscow and Kharkiv.
Initially, the goal of developmental learning was to teach a child to think theoretically and develop critical thinking skills from the very first grade. It has been proven over 40 years of psychological and pedagogical experimentation that this is possible. As a result, a new, alternative system of education, developmental learning, has emerged and has been working in Ukraine since 2001.
Question. Which of Kahneman's systems of thinking—fast or slow—do you think the traditional education system is shaping?
Activity, behaviour, and conscious behaviour.
Words matter. ⠀
Especially when it comes to the development and upbringing of children.
If we want to treat a child as a personality, it is important to remember that personality is formed only through activity. But it is not a set of random activities that replace each other chaotically or according to a schedule. There is a leading activity for each age period.
Moreover, it is important to distinguish between activity, behaviour, and conscious behaviour. ⠀
Activity is what distinguishes the animal world from the plant world. Even an amoeba is active. Activity can usually be seen, heard, or felt with the body. ⠀
Behaviour is the more complex response of animals to stimuli. ⠀ Do you remember Pavlov's dog? Even a rabbit can be taught to play the drum. ⠀
Conscious behaviour is a full-fledged structure of activity plus a subject - someone who makes decisions and performs activities independently. This is someone who has freedom of choice. ⠀
We cannot always see conscious behaviour. How can we see a child's inner thinking? ⠀
In Ukrainian psychology, there is a special word for this, and it is not activity. This is what the next part of the YouTube video is about. See the link to the video in the profile header.
Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It contains two key concepts within it: the concept of "needs" and and the idea of "limitations".
It is written in Our Common Future by the World Commission on Environment and Development (1987).It is important that sustainable development be an organizing principle that aims to meet human development goals.
The goals of human development, as well as human needs, motives, and the ability to set a goal, evaluate, and correct behaviour —all these are integral components of the concept of personality.
Is it possible to understand the goals of human development, as well as human needs, without understanding what a personality is?
Is it possible to understand and achieve sustainable development without understanding the mechanisms of personality development?
Is it possible to achieve sustainable development in society without understanding the sustainable development of the personality?
The concept of personality contains the biological, intellectual, social, and spiritual nature of humans.
Most importantly, the concept of personality contains the idea of subjectivity, that is, the ability to make independent choices and self-restraint if circumstances are so required.
The newest personality theory that reflects the above is O.K. Dusavytsky's theory. He developed and tested his theory of personality as a professor at the Department of Psychology at Karazin Kharkiv National University for more than 20 years.
As a result, this theory, among other things, answers the question of how a personality is able, independently and of one's own free will, to find a balance between growing needs and the need for self-restraint if circumstances are so required.
Essentially, this theory models possible scenarios of sustainable personality development.
And not only that.
The Childhood Flow concept is a continuation of the ideas of the Ukrainian psychologist O. Dusavytsky (1928–2012). He was a renowned Ukrainian psychologist, one of the scientists of the system of developmental learning in its personality section, and the author of his own theory of personality. The historical framework of Dusavytsky's personality theory is based on the dialogue between Vygotsky (1896–1934) and Piaget (1896–1980).
My Teacher
(Ukrainian transliteration)
5 May 1928 - 24 October 2012
was a prominent Soviet and Ukrainian psychologist, Doctor of Psychology (1990), Professor of the Department of Psychology (1991). He headed the Centre for Psychology and Methods of Developmental Learning (1993-2012). Specialist in the field of personality psychology, the theory of the formation of cognitive interest, problems of individual child development. The creator of the original interpretation of the mechanisms of research and cognitive interest.
In one of his final articles, published in 2011, Dusavytsky reflects on his early experiences with the developmental learning system, from 1971 to 1974. During this period, he attended conferences where he had the opportunity to engage with leading figures in the field of developmental education. He recalls the speeches delivered by Leontief, Davidov, Sereda, Repkin, Uznadze and numerous other esteemed professionals. This was the period during which he was writing his PhD dissertation, and the ideas of these scientists provided the inspiration for his theory of personality.
Quote from the one of his last articles:
"G. K. Sereda's presentation made a great impression on the conference participants. "I have an internal criterion that allows me to answer the question "who is who?"" - said G.K. Sereda. "If a person says that he recognises the presence of change, but at the same time it is necessary not to forget about children, or it is necessary to implement the principle of scientificity, but not to forget about the principle of accessibility, I believe that he is an adherent of the old system of learning .... In traditional didactics, the principles of scientificity and accessibility are at enmity with each other. This paradox is living up to its last years". The problem of accessibility, according to G. Sereda, is not a problem of age, but a problem of society. It is not in front of the child, but in front of us. In a child, mechanical memorisation is a self-defence against the method we impose on him. There has never been a mechanical memory as an age memory. Memory is also created like other mental processes. Summarising the discussion, V. Davydov proposed a hypothesis: in the near future, the main task of the primary system of education is to form a full-fledged learning activity in students. For subsequent full-fledged learning in secondary school."
Dusavytskyi O.K. (2011) Georgia – my love // Bulletin of Kharkiv University. Series: Psychology. – 2011. – No. 981. – P. 11-15. Bulletin of Kharkiv University named after. Karazin.
In his final Ukrainian-language article, Dusavytskyi draws the following conclusions:
"Many of the issues raised in the research conducted by psychologists at Kharkiv University need to be further developed. However, one thing is certain: developmental learning is a very fruitful and promising way of developing the personality of both the teaching and the learning subjects.
Experimental results indicate that the system of developmental learning does indeed provide for the creation of such theoretically meaningful social situations in which there are quite favourable prerequisites for the development of personality in students of different ages, from younger to adolescent, and covering motivational, activity and cognitive components. The same is true for teachers, who undergo significant positive changes in the development of various personal structural components of the psycho-spiritual world, as well as their business and personal interaction as full-fledged subjects of a single, psychologically defined process".
Dusavytskyi O., Zaika Y., Zuev I. (2012) Development of Personality of Pupil and Teacher in the System of Developmental Learning / Oleksandr Dusavytskyi, Yevhen Zaika, Ihor Zuiev // Psychology and Society. - 2012. - No. 4. - P. 147-153.
** sometimes in translated publications Dusavitsky A., Dusavitski A., Aleksandr Konstantinovich Dusavitskii (Russian transliteration).
In 1975, he defended his PhD thesis on the topic: "Study of the development of cognitive interests of junior schoolchildren depending on the method of teaching" under the supervision of V. Repkin.
This article presents the findings of research and applied developments conducted over the past 12 years (2000-2011) on the issues of personality development in the context of developmental learning.
He continued his scientific work under the guidance of V. Davidov and defended his doctoral dissertation "Personality Development in a Team Depending on the Organisation of Educational Activities" in 1989.
Oleksandr Dusavytskyi was a prominent Ukrainian scientist, a recognised pioneer in the field of age and educational psychology, the theory of research interest formation, and the problems of individual child development. His works and research remain extremely important and relevant today, and they are studied and translated.