A Tai-chi-chuan apprentice follows the steps of the master in the beginning of his training. As he reaches a stage of proficiency, he creates his own interpretation of the movements proposed by his master. Being able to control the technique, he will reinvent the learned movements, adapting them to his own manner of interpretation. Without the initial context, he would not reach this stage of expertise. Experience made it possible to surpass the sociocultural determinism.

This chapter intends to analyze in some detail the example of the first paragraph. In its apparent simplicity, a series of complex questions is posed to the psychologist. How should we think about learning? What are the cognitive developmental processes? How should we define the influence of the context and the individual participation? Are we obliged to choose between an approach centered in the individual or the environment? My aim is to propose a solution to some of those questions, starting from the sociocultural theory. However, I think that it is important to establish my own theoretical position, although I cannot do it in a systematic form in this chapter. While I consider the conceptual ideas posed by Lev Vygotsky to be fundamental, as well as those advanced in contemporary developmental psychology by authors such as Scribner, Cole, Fogel, and Valsiner, I do not think that those positions are in conflict with the psychogenetic model proposed by Jean Piaget.