The territory of affectivity, the generic category that embraces emotions, passions and feelings in their various nuances, has been approached from different epistemological perspectives over time. From physiological to metaphysical approaches based on the role of social interactions in human development, comprising the field of affect within the context of the semiotic-cultural processes in which the subject constitutes itself. In this article, we present and discuss the contributions of the cultural-historical approach outlined by Lev Semenovich Vygotsky for the study of emotions, which established a milestone amid the explicative tendencies found in debates over the subject in the 20th century. We also discuss some sociocultural contemporary approaches as they build upon the Russian author's proposal, analyzing advances brought by new researches about the topic. Finally, we discuss challenges and implications of a sociocultural and historical perspective to the study of affectivity that takes seriously the complex and dynamic nature of psychological phenomena.
Emotions; Vygotsky; historic-cultural psychology