Beyond perezhivanie, sense, and language: An empirical study of early childhood teachers' subjective senses

Based on the Theory of Subjectivity in a cultural-historical perspective, this paper presents an empirical study of two infant teachers and their subjective dynamics of being enchanted with singular aspects of their professional lives. Through the constructive-interpretative principle driven from the Qualitative Epistemology, the study aims to understand the relationship between the subjects and the specific manner in which they express ways of being and feeling as early childhood teachers. The way teachers express themselves indicates the way they experience their working lives in a symbolic and emotional amalgam which cannot otherwise be captured from a formal linguistic perspective and in isolation from the subject's integral expression. A review of Vygotsky's concepts of perezhivanie and sense highlights the value of two common characteristics widely considered in the current development of our theoretical approach. Both concepts (1) compose an integrated theoretical model of psychic functioning, and (2) are oriented towards the quality of the subject's participation in his/her everyday life's processes. The study challenges cognitive-linguistic reductionist bias and demonstrates the value of the concept of subjective senses as a theoretical alternative. Consequently, it enhances our understanding of the symbolic-emotional nature in which individuals shape their life stories through their current experiences.