Soviet psychologist whose unity of consciousness and activity laid the foundations of Marxist psychology and activity theory
Born in 1889 to a Jewish lawyer's family in Odesa, he studied under the Neo-Kantians Cohen and Natorp at Marburg. In 1922 he first stated the principle of the unity of consciousness and activity, that the mind is formed and shows itself in activity, and in the 1930s set out a programme for a psychology built on Marxist philosophy. His Foundations of General Psychology made him in 1942 the first psychologist to win the Stalin Prize, and he founded the psychology chair at Moscow University and the psychology sector of the Academy's Institute of Philosophy. Removed from his leading posts in 1949 during the campaign against 'cosmopolitanism', he returned in 1956. He stands beside Leontiev as one of the two pillars of activity theory, and their schools criticised each other.
Also known as: Sergey Rubinstein · Sergei Rubinshtein
Activities and affiliations
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1921–1930
Soviet Union state institutionsProfessor of psychology in Odesa; director of the Odesa Scientific Library
Education -
1930–1942
Soviet Union state institutionsHead of psychology, Herzen Pedagogical Institute, Leningrad
Science and technology -
1942–1960
Soviet Union state institutionsHead of psychology, Moscow University and Institute of PhilosophyMain
Science and technology
Career Timeline
- 1909–1914Studied philosophy at Freiburg and Marburg; doctorate
- 1919Privatdozent in philosophy, Novorossiya University
- 1921Professor of psychology in Odesa
- 1922"The Principle of Creative Self-Activity"; director of the Odesa Scientific Library
- 1930–1942Head of psychology at the Herzen Pedagogical Institute, Leningrad
- 1940Foundations of General Psychology
- 1942Stalin Prize; director of the Institute of Psychology and professor at Moscow University
- 1943Corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences; founded the psychology department at Moscow University
- 1945Head of the psychology sector, Institute of Philosophy
- 1949Removed from leading posts in the campaign against "cosmopolitanism"
- 1956Head of the Institute of Philosophy psychology sector again
- 1957Being and Consciousness