Development of Voluntary Attention and the Critique of the Medicalization of Education

Thinking Attention Deficit Disorder and Hyperactivity in the Light of Historical-Cultural Psychology

Abstract

The aim of this article is to understand how historical-cultural psychology has contributed to the current discussion about attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children. Firstly, it became necessary to assimilate how Historical-Cultural Psychology comprises the development of voluntary attention, and later to understand its criticisms of the medicalization of contemporary education that takes as its principle the supposed attention disorder. In order to reach this objective, a bibliographical survey was carried out, having as methodological procedure the search of scientific works in two databases: Capes and Google Academic. As keywords, in combination, historical-cultural psychology, ADHD, Vygotsky. As final considerations, we discuss that historical-cultural psychology, as opposed to a maturationist view of the development of higher psychic functions, such as voluntary attention, includes political, social, and especially cultural issues, without excluding the biological dimension , since it presents itself as the starting point for man to be constituted as such and as an indivisible unit along with the social dimension. Finally, as a suggestion for the next studies, it is useful to investigate the political and ideological relations that are implied from the scientific knowledge to the processes of referral, diagnosis and treatment of the child considered hyperactive or inattentive.