Furthering the Internalization Debate: Gal’perin’s Contribution

In this article we examine the contribution to the analysis of the problem of internalization made by the Russian psychologist Gal’perin. The concept of internalization has been criticized recently for restricting researchers to an old paradigm of Cartesian dualism, with the suggestion made that clearer concepts such as mastery or appropriation be substituted. In our view, the concept of internalization has the advantage of pointing to a specifically human type of appropriation. We propose an alternative solution. Rather than replacing one term with another, the very notions of internal and external in the realm of mental activity should be reconceptualized. In the framework of Gal’perin’s ideas, the processes underlying the internalization concept can be construed without creating dualistic confusion. The result is a better understanding of the specificity of human mental development.