The Two Courses of Development of the Category “Smysl” in L. S. Vygotsky’s Works

ABSTRACT The article analyzes the background and dynamics of Lev S. Vygotsky’s notions of smysl (“sense,” “meaning,” “significance,” “purpose,” “essence”—all in one). Drawing on the data of archival records, the author has reconstructed the two main courses taken by the category “smysl” in its development: (1) within the bounds of a field metaphor, also used in the development of the “meaningful field” construct, and (2) as part of the interpretation of smysl as an integral characteristic of man’s attitude to the external world. Vygotsky’s theoretical projects are being compared to the experimental studies of his team conducted in the early 1930s. The author demonstrates that the discursive field of Vygotsky’s conception, which was determined by the category “smysl,” had a complex composition and was defined via a dialogue with K. Lewin’s field theory, using the method of formal-dynamic analysis and experimental techniques developed in the framework of dynamic psychology.