Learning and Crises in Human Development. A Sociocultural and Dialogical Approach

This paper examines the relationship between human development, crisis, and learning from a sociocultural and dialogical approach in psychology. In this perspective, we conceptualize crises as ruptures that may arise from external events, interpersonal dynamics, or internal tensions, and are understood not solely as obstacles but as potential conditions for development. Within this framework, learning is approached as a situated, semiotically mediated process of meaning-making, embedded in relational, cultural, and sociohistorical contexts. By integrating biographical and narrative approaches with sociocultural and dialogical theories, this study highlights crisis as a key analytical entry point for investigating learning across the adult life course. The paper presents the results of a dialogical analysis that draws on a longitudinal diary of a woman spanning two decades, offering unique access to the evolving processes of adult learning across life transitions. By examining what we call the “dialogical tensions”, we show how they are related to various spheres of experience, including professional life, family life, health, and spirituality, and articulate personal aspirations and social expectations, as well as the relationships between self and others, past and future selves. These tensions function as critical junctures where the self is reconfigured, fostering development.