Leading activity: concept and main types

Leading activity is the activity of the child, which he carries out within the social development situation. Its fulfillment will determine the appearance and development in the subject of the main psychological neoplasms at a certain stage of development in ontogenesis.

At each stage of mental development a special social development situation is formed, which, in turn, contributes to the fact that the corresponding leading activity is manifested. This is a sign of the transition to a higher level of the psyche.

Leading activity is able to determine the emergence of a new stage of development, acting as a basic criterion in its diagnosis. It manifests itself not immediately, but must undergo formation within the social situation. Moreover, the new activity will not cancel the previous type.

Consequently, the leading activity is the factor that determines the manifestation of the main changes and new formations in the mental level of development at certain stages of ontogeny.

How does this happen? Within her framework, all the child's functions are developed and trained. This, in the long run, will lead to the appearance of qualitative changes. The growing possibilities of the growing up person will become a source for manifesting contradictions in the "child-adult" system, which "will result" in the incompatibility of the opportunities that have arisen with the outdated form of relationships with the environment. It is then that a special development crisis begins that facilitates the transition to a higher level of ontogeny.

Let us consider in more detail the course of this process, based on the data of modern research.

During the infancy (from birth to the year), the social situation will be determined by the fact that a small child can not do without an adult. He needs it not only to meet physical needs, but also for communication. Therefore, the leading type of activity - direct emotional communication of the child - will form the need and need for communication with people.

At the stage of early childhood (from one to three years) the child gets freedom, which is connected with the fact that he is already able to move independently. In addition, speech is actively developing, and parents are now acting as an intermediary between him and the world around him. It is the adults who become guides, and the subject-manipulative activity is the leading one. Thanks to it, motor and speech skills are developed and improved.

In the preschool age (from three to seven years), the child enters the adult world through story-role play. In its framework, he has the opportunity to repeat what he sees in the world around him. That's why there are games in the doctor, the seller, the robbers, the war, the family and so on.

At the younger school age (from seven to eleven years), the leading type of activity changes significantly: the main one becomes educational. All efforts of the child should be directed to assimilate the foundations of the sciences and become a subject of activity. In the social situation of development, a new adult appears - the teacher, who now determines the characteristics of his development, assessing the efforts and abilities of the student.

Starting with adolescence (from eleven to fifteen years), the main type of activity is communication with peers, which manifests itself in various social spheres (educational, artistic, sports, personal, and so on). It is now it is the determining factor for the mental development of the boy, and the influence of adults "falls back" to the background.

As far as the maturation and socialization of a person, the main thing is labor activity, contributing to the formation of his professionalism.