Play, Dreams and Imitation in Childhood

by Jean Piaget

Translation of: La formation du symbole chez l'enfant.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Education, Parenting, Philosophy, Science, Psychiatry

308 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1959

About the author

Jean Piaget (1896 - 1980) was a Swiss philosopher, natural scientist and developmental theorist, well known for his work studying children, his theory of cognitive development, and his epistemological view called "genetic epistemology." In 1955, he created the International Centre for Genetic Epistemology in Geneva and directed it until his death in 1980. According to Ernst von Glasersfeld, Jean Piaget was "the great pioneer of the constructivist theory of knowing."

Reviews

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was younger, I didn't find myself wanting to read psychology books. They seemed boring and hypothetical drivel from scientists who have no life. It seems I was wrong, and I'm glad Jordan Peterson, professor at University of Toronto, gave this book as a strong recommendation into the world of mental thought and complexity on his blog. Piaget has made some interesting points about memory, the schema of action, and the incorporation of assimilation and accommodation could be a reversible phenom while the individual parts could not be reversible based on their singular attributes.

A huge plus is knowing that three subjects of Piaget's studies are his own children: J, L, and T respectively.

[Farouk Ramzan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jean Piaget is one of the most brilliant thinkers I've ever come across. Piaget's theory of constructivism is fascinating (granted that it has its errors like ever great thinker's model) and is still quite influential in child psychology. Piaget, in reality, is a psychoanalyst disguised as an epidemiological philosopher. He uses empirical evidence by observing his children (and many others) throughout their childhood and, when they are able to speak, he engages in psychoanalytic sessions with them. Through these means, Piaget has constructed the developmental stages of the child which are to this day accurate.

This book really feels like Piaget's manifesto on his theories as "The Moral Judgement of the Child", especially towards the last fifty pages, just became a long rant about what previous developmental psychologists got right and wrong. "Play, Dreams, and Imitation in Childhood" fully encapsulates the entire Piagetian method and philosophy so elegantly in a slim 290 pages.

There's also something very transcendental about reading Piaget. It's humbling and maybe even terrifying to see how quickly the child develops. Piaget also reminds us that the child is intelligent, and maybe even more in touch with himself than the adult. We can all learn something from children...

[Farouk Ramzan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jul 02, 2020

Jean Piaget is one of the most brilliant thinkers I've ever come across. Piaget's theory of constructivism is fascinating (granted that it has its errors like ever great thinker's model) and is still quite influential in child psychology. Piaget, in reality, is a psychoanalyst disguised as an epidemiological philosopher. He uses empirical evidence by observing his children (and many others) throughout their childhood and, when they are able to speak, he engages in psychoanalytic sessions with them. Through these means, Piaget has constructed the developmental stages of the child which are to this day accurate.

This book really feels like Piaget's manifesto on his theories as "The Moral Judgement of the Child", especially towards the last fifty pages, just became a long rant about what previous developmental psychologists got right and wrong. "Play, Dreams, and Imitation in Childhood" fully encapsulates the entire Piagetian method and philosophy so elegantly in a slim 290 pages.

There's also something very transcendental about reading Piaget. It's humbling and maybe even terrifying to see how quickly the child develops. Piaget also reminds us that the child is intelligent, and maybe even more in touch with himself than the adult. We can all learn something from children...

[Aidan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Piaget, widely regarded as one of the greatest development psychologist (developmental epistemologists more aptly), lays out the development of intelligence and thought in the child in this foundational work. Certain parts are littered with technical jargon that is not for the light reader however the general breadth of the content can be appreciated, most notably in Piaget’s analysis of dreams and symbolism according to the great psychoanalysts such as Freud and Jung. One of the most engaging portions of the book is Piaget’s work on ameliorating the gap between the psychoanalysts and “contemporary” psychology. While dealing with material specific to symbolism and representational thought, many of Piaget’s key terminologies are defined and thus can be used as a Segway into his other works, or simply a rereading of this one. I would recommend this book to anyone with a pension for foundational psychological ideas as if you take a development course at any point in your education, Piaget will be mentioned.

[Aira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Taken me the longest time with this book. But I do recommend if you want to really learn about childhood and how children learn and one of the greatest aspects is playing. I have a love-hate relationship with this book but every time I reread it I learn something new. It is a complicated read btw!!!

[Kace Wong · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the fundamental human developmental paradigm that’s less discussed and much needed to be further elaborated.

After all this time, How much more do we know about play, dreams and imitation in childhood, and
across our lifespan, and
in human development, and
in ourself?

[Austin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jean Piaget breaks down much of early childhood development from newborns onward. It is a meticulous study and thoroughly written. It is not a particularly entertaining read, so there are several parts that are quite dry and a bit boring unless the reader has a keen interest in the area of analysis. Overall, a great study but it is not for those expecting to be entertained by some incredibly insightful look into the human psyche.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

The research is fascinating. It’s just not edited for my kind of consumption. It’s like a lab journal.

[Aaron Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

“…thought evolves from symbolic and preconceptual imaged representation to operational conceptual representation, which suggests that thought which is egocentric and irreducible to ‘grouping’ is essentially symbolic, intermediary between the image and the concept, while rational conceptual thought presupposes socialisation and ‘grouping.’”



Children understand the rules of the game while playing the game, but when they are asked to articulate the rules, they are unable to. We contain information that we cannot articulate.

[Brynne D · Rating 2 out of 5]

Despite being the man who coined children as "active explorers," I was expecting something a little less dry. Instead it read like a 300 page empirical journal article, aside from everything about dreams and play symbolism, which was way too Freudian for my liking anyway.

[Ori Fienberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Piaget captures the moods and thoughts of children with sparkingly accuracy. This collection is priceless just for the interviews.

[Sudeep Chapagai]

I want to know about this book.

[James Sicard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I done read this because it appears on the recommended reading list of my home lobster Jordan Peterson. I don’t got no kids but found it a very interesting read..

[Wilson Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Livro clássico de Jean Piaget, que aborda a formação do símbolo nas crianças.