Exploring cross-cultural cognitive and emotional development in adolescents through the lens of Vygotsky’s theory
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33910/2686-9527-2025-7-4-467-475Keywords:
adolescents, emotions and cognitions, culture, theoretical approachAbstract
Introduction. Adolescence is a critical stage of development across emotional, physical, social and cognitive domains. Within this stage, emotion and cognition play a pivotal and interconnected role in individual growth, each continually influencing the other. Currently, adolescents frequently experience mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression, often linked to academic stressors — including traditional learning strategies, curricular pressures, and poor grades — and environmental stressors, such as cultural norms and values. Understanding the relationship between emotions and cognitions through L. S. Vygotsky’s perspective may inform approaches to contemporary adolescent problems.
Materials and Methods. This study is a review of secondary literature based on L. S. Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory. It analyzes and summarizes relevant scholarly work to synthesize key findings and conclusions regarding the role of socio-cultural influences in shaping adolescent development. The results are presented as conclusions about the influence of the socio-cultural context on the formation of adolescents’ emotional and cognitive spheres.
Results. Employing the dimensional and analytical framework of Vygotsky’s seminal work reveals how adolescent emotional and cognitive growth is situated within distinct cultural contexts. Following certain criteria, this framework elucidates the integration of emotion and cognitive strategies designed to manage environmental and academic stress. The present research is founded on a theoretical analysis of Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, which foregrounds the roles of cognition, emotion, social interaction, cultural tools, and cultural values in adolescent development.
Conclusion. This study contributes to highlighting cultural differences in the emotional and cognitive development of adolescents. It provides a foundation for developing novel educational strategies and offers valuable insights for mental health professionals and educational policy makers, thereby addressing a gap in literature.
References
Cong-Lem, N. (2023) Emotion and its relation to cognition from Vygotsky’s perspective. European Journal of Psychology of Education, vol. 38, pp. 865–880. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-022-00624-x (In English)
Dmitriev, A. A., Verkhoturova, N. Y. (2022) Social and psychological aspects of emotional response in childhood. Journal of Siberian Federal University. Humanities & Social Sciences, vol. 15, no. 4, pp. 537–545. (In English)
Eisenberg, N., Spinrad, T. L., Eggum, N. D. (2010) Emotion-related self-regulation and its relation to children’s maladjustment. Annual review of clinical psychology, vol. 6, pp. 495–525. (In English)
Faria, P. M. F. D., Camargo, D. D. (2024) Vygotsky’s concept of emotion: The indissociability of affective and cognitive aspects in human development. Estudos de Psicologia (Campinas), vol. 41, article e230058. https://doi.org/10.1590/1982-0275202441e230058 (In English)
Gross, J. J. (2002) Emotion regulation: Affective, cognitive, and social consequences. Psychophysiology, vol. 39, no. 3, pp. 281–291. (In English)
Gross, J. J., Thompson, R. A. (2007) Emotion regulation: Conceptual foundations. In: J. J. Gross (ed.). Handbook of emotion regulation. New York; London: The Guilford Press, pp. 3–24. (In English)
Halberstadt, A. G., Lozada, F. T. (2011) Emotion development in infancy through the lens of culture. Emotion Review, vol. 3, no. 2, 158–168. https://doi.org/10.1177/1754073910387946 (In English)
Kashdan, T. B., Ciarrochi, J. V. (eds.). (2013) Mindfulness, acceptance, and positive psychology: The seven foundations of well-being. Oakland: Context Press, 352 p. (In English)
Lindquist, K. A., Jackson, J. C., Leshin, J. et al. (2022) The cultural evolution of emotion. Nature Reviews Psychology, vol. 1, pp. 669–681. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44159-022-00105-4 (In English)
Markus, H. R., Kitayama, S. (1991) Cultural variation in the self-concept. In: J. Strauss, G. R. Goethals (eds.). The self: Interdisciplinary approaches. New York: Springer Publ., pp. 18–48. (In English)
Morris, M. W., Peng, K. (1994) Culture and cause: American and Chinese attributions for social and physical events. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, vol. 67, no. 6, pp. 949–971. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.67.6.949 (In English)
Mesquita, B., Frijda, N. H. (1992) Cultural variations in emotions: A review. Psychological bulletin, vol. 112, no. 2, pp. 179–204. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.112.2.179 (In English)
Ochsner, K. N., Gross, J. J. (2008) Cognitive emotion regulation: Insights from social cognitive and affective neuroscience. Current directions in psychological science, vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 153–158. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8721.2008.00566.x (In English)
Pershina, T. (2018) Pedagogical conditions of emotional self-regulation development at older preschool age. In: S. Sheridan, N. Veraksa (eds.). Early childhood care and education, European proceedings of social and behavioural sciences. Moscow: Future Academy Publ., pp. 559–566. (In English)
Schlegel, A., Barry, H. (1991) Adolescence: An anthropological inquiry. New York: Free Press, 280 p. (In English)
Koopmann-Holm, B., Matsumoto, D. (2011) Values and Display Rules for Specific Emotions. Journal of Cross- Cultural Psychology, vol. 42, no. 3, pp. 355–371. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022022110362753 (In English)
Rieber, R. W., Carton, A. S. (eds.). (1987) The collected works of L. S. Vygotsky. Problems of general psychology, including the volume thinking and speech. Vol. 1. New York: Plenum Press, 396 p. (In English)
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978) Mind in society: Development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 174 p. (In English)
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Masooma Rasheed
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
The work is provided under the terms of the Public Offer and of Creative Commons public license Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).
This license permits an unlimited number of users to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format, and to remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, including commercial use.
This license retains copyright for the authors but allows others to freely distribute, use, and adapt the work, on the mandatory condition that appropriate credit is given. Users must provide a correct link to the original publication in our journal, cite the authors' names, and indicate if any changes were made.
Copyright remains with the authors. The CC BY 4.0 license does not transfer rights to third parties but rather grants users prior permission for use, provided the attribution condition is met. Any use of the work will be governed by the terms of this license.
