The paper is devoted to the issue of mechanisms of learning for understanding the nature of the human mind. Learning is regarded as a special activity that is important for developing the human mind in a specific cultural and historical setting and indirect activity. The author’s understanding of the ideas developed by the psychological theory of activity for establishing the principles of developing the human mind is highlighted. Interpretation of dialectical connections of brain processes and mind, and also the objective activity that emerges them is provided.

According to the activity theory, the causes of the students’ psychological difficulties and the low efficacy of learning within predominant reproductive method or the use of the trial and error method are revealed. Thus, a new understanding of the renowned didactic principles of scientific rigour, accessibility, objectivity, the connection of learning with life and others is offered. The contribution of the psychological theory in organizing and managing the studies, increasing teaching activity and awareness, and the growth of the internal causes of motivation are shown.

Particular attention is paid to the issue of intellectual development and creative abilities. The author believes the creative abilities of the student and the way the latter are taught are interconnected. At the same time, the developers and educators should make efforts to develop in the students a systemic orientation in the subject, primarily mastering the method of system analysis. Once the method of system analysis has been mastered, it becomes a general intellectual and developing tool through which activities are organized to solve any teaching problems with whatever type of content and difficulty level.

Summing up, the organization and disclosure to the student of the process of learning as an activity with its social, consciously transformative and sense shaping meaning, the conditions of its development and their significance for consciousness development and the organization of life, opens the possibility for students to move to the top of the personality development.

The article defines the concept of psychological culture, analyzes the role of psychology in modern society and its interconnection with socio-political processes. The importance of properly organized educational system for sound development of personality in general, and the formation of psychological culture in particular, is demonstrated.

Concepts of "violence" and "effort" in the context of the development of the child are discussed. Nature, importance and relation of these concepts in modern psychology are shown. The idea of "humanistic" nonviolent pedagogy is analyzed. The value of "effort" for the normal development of personality is shown.

An original author's hypothesis about the role of space in the moral development of a human personality, his/her spiritual enrichment and improvement is considered. The opportunities of space exploration to generate new theories about the origin of the psyche, to study the human consciousness from a new angle are analyzed.

An analysis of the cultural and historical theory of L. Vygotsky is considered. It is shown that in its essence this theory belongs to non-classical psychology. The main ideas concerning the development of the human individual in education put forward by scientists in the framework of this theory are considered.