The Origins of Action

The emergence of the action theory perspective within European developmental psychology was the result of a growing dissatisfaction during the mid seventies with existing theories and theoretical constructs concerning social (cognitive) and moral development. Since that time, a number of arguments have been brought out to justify a shift from prevailing theoretical constructs to a new theory and/or paradigm based on the representation of man as an active and acting organism. This book addresses a variety of questions raised by developmental psychologists around the concept of action. Its aim is to integrate, theoretical aspects from several disciplines with the reality of psychological phenomena; to trace the history of action-theory ideas and discuss their applications; and to discuss current conceptions of devel- opmental psychology as a scientific discipline over the last century.