Abstract
The concept of bi-directional development is based on the fundamental idea that an organism and its relevant environment are interdependent and that in the process of their mutual interaction they both co-develop. However, the amount and the quality of the development of an organism and its environment is asymmetrically distributed. Valsiner views the concept of asymmetry as one of the basic issues in co-constructivist theory. He maintains that asymmetries are jointly constructed in the developmental process and raises questions about the nature of the co-construction which must, in some ways, integrate intra-psychological and socio-cultural processes. In this chapter I propose to do two things. First, I shall discuss the mutual construction of asymmetries in various developmental domains. Second, I shall address the question, raised by Valsiner, as to whether asymmetry is compatible with the notion of shared codes in communication.
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Marková, I. (1994). The Mutual Construction of Asymmetries. In: van Geert, P., Mos, L.P., Baker, W.J. (eds) Annals of Theoretical Psychology. Annals of Theoretical Psychology, vol 10. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-9194-5_15
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