Abstract
Cultural-historical psychology was introduced into the educational field in Brazil starting in 1980. More recently, Vygotsky’s studies on mental disorders have been subject to analysis with the aim of understanding normal and abnormal psychic development within the dialectical relation between sociocultural context and organism. This study aimed to outline such contributions related to schizophrenia focusing on the concept formation process and the breakdown of its pathology. We sought to draw questions and comparisons between Vygotskian research and the current research on risk factors, treatment, and symptoms of schizophrenia. Finally, we suggested favorable ways to overcome the reductionist view of the breakdown process which causes the alienation, in this mental disorder, of the subject in relation to the world and to oneself.
Keywords:
schizophrenia; Vygotsky; cultural-historical psychology; concept formation