Elena E. Sokolova

This essay is aimed at considering the possibility itself of “metacomprehension” of the mental reality so cherished by Lev Vygotsky from the positions of cultural and activity psychology. It is demonstrated that the program Vygostky outlined for creating the new “general psychology” involves the use of dialectical logic (as opposed to the contemporary projects of “integrative psychology” based on the “and – and” logic). Applied in a creative way to the problem of nature of mental reality, the dialectical logic let the adherents of Alexei Leontiev school draw the conclusion that activity can be regarded as a substance of mind and that, consequently, the mind can be regarded as a “functional organ” of activity. Such an interpretation of the mental reality makes it possible to resolve a number of theoretical and practical psychological problems anew.