[[Activity theory|Activity theory's]] unit of analysis is the representation of the phenomena that we are trying to study. The unit of analysis has been built upon through the three generations of activity theory [[@engestromExpansiveLearningWork2001|(Engeström, 2001)]]. ### I - Mediated action The unit of analysis for the first generation is crafted to express [[Lev Vygotsky|Vygotsky]]'s idea of [[Mediation|mediation]]. In the 1920s [[Behaviourism|behaviourism]] and [[Psychoanalysis|psychoanalysis]] were the dominant psychological methods. However, [[Lev Vygotsky]] found the former (behaviourism's) focus on stimulus-response to be too simplistic to represent the complexities of human consciousness and creativity; whilst the latter (psychoanalysis) overemphasised unconscious and biological drives. He wanted to bring in culture into our understanding of human beings which laid the foundation for activity theory. At the time, this broke the paradigm of stimulus-response, and seeing the mind and society as separate separate structures. At its core, cultural artefacts mediate human actions. Where a person's thought is shaped by the tools which they have access to, which have cultural ideals laden deeply within them, and society is actively created through people who use these cultural tools. ![[Pasted image 20250809165908.png]] ### II - Activity system The unit of analysis in the second generation expanded upon the first to include: rules, communities and division of labour. Thereby capturing sociocultural processes. ![[Pasted image 20251212002732.png]] ### III - Interaction of activity systems The unit of analysis in the third generation, explores the complex interaction between differing activity systems. ![[Pasted image 20250809204947.png]]