Wolf Solomonovich Merlin: His life and the context of his development as a scholar

Abstract

This article briefly analyses W. S. Merlin’s life and development as a scholar within the evolution of 20^th-century Russian psychology. It focuses on his Leningrad period, the influence of M. Ya. Basov’s and S. L. Rubinstein’s ideas, and early empirical research into social experience, worldview, and activity. The author traces the evolution of the category of activity in Merlin’s interpretation and its role in the subsequent concept of integral individuality. Particular attention is given to Merlin’s work in Perm, which saw the emergence of the Perm psychological school and the creation of fundamental works that shaped the further development of differential and educational psychology.