The Dialogue Between Freire, Wallon and Vygotsky: The Place and Role of Affectivity in the Educational Process

Abstract

This paper is part of a thesis of the first author, which is being supervised by the other two authors. The objective here is to reflect on the proposition of being “in the world,” seen from the perspectives of Paulo Freire, Henri Wallon and Lev Vygotsky, as well as on its affective and cultural implications for the act of teaching. For Freire (1996), the educational act is a process of deconstruction of the degradation produced by neoliberalism in contemporary societies. It is a constant, conscious struggle, an awareness by the exploited classes of the mechanisms of the dehumanization of humanity. In this context, the role and place of the teacher are constantly confronted with a socio-affective universe, impacting the way in which students get involved in the construction of meaning in the educational process. The education model called by Freire (1981) banking education, which still prevails in contemporary educational structures, is no longer sufficient to meet the current needs of the cybernetic society. Thus, the need to train professionals in relational skills has become even more evident in the present century. To better understand the psychological processes involved in constructing meanings with significant emotional content, the article refers to the theories of L. Vygotsky and H. Wallon. Wallon (1968) demonstrates that affectivity is the first mechanism by which human beings relate to the world. Vygotsky (1998) proposes that affectivity is a constitutive part of culture, which influences the development of higher psychological functions, without which genetic power would not be realized. In their research, these authors have demonstrated that affectivity and culture are essential in the construction of meanings in relational structures, undeniably marked by the presence of affects. These theorists also help us to understand that the training of teachers is strongly marked by the Cartesian modus operandi, no longer able to meet the current demands of society; by increasing the distance in the educational process, it contributes to its dehumanization. For the teacher to succeed in his or her activities, it is necessary to recognize the sociocultural variables with which he or she intends to work, to know the representational and symbolic language that this “other” already possesses, and then, from this already constructed reality, firstly to seek to establish semantic and emotional links with the surrounding reality, and secondly, with the historical-scientific culture accumulated by society. The act of establishing a relationship is in itself, an educational act, since, according to Freire, “No one educates anyone, no one educates himself, Men educate themselves, mediated by the world” (Freire 1981: 79).