This known unknown psychology

882

Abstract

This review of the book by Daniel N. Robinson "The Intellectual History of Psychology" (published by the Institute of Philosophy, Theology and History of St. Thomas) focuses on the author's attempt to define the place of psychology in the system of sciences. The article substantiates the appropriateness of the multi-paradigm approach to psychology, which allows to examine psychological concepts from different points of view, for instance, from the point of view of modern science, and from the point of view of positivistic criteria of objectivity and scientific character, and in the context of their social determination by values and tasks of current situation, and, at last, from the point of view of their cultural meaning. It is also stated that psychology is a socially oriented science that is inseparably connected with the dominant values of a certain society, at a certain historical period. Yet, the critical review of the book shows that there are several disadvantages concerning, for the most part, the weakness of the analysis of the situation in modern psychology. The means of analysis, suggested by D.N. Robins for analyzing the history of psychology, are not fully applied to analyzing the modern situation. There are no consensual principles or holistic theories in present-day psychology.

General Information

Keywords: D.N. Robinson, history of psychology, science, society

Journal rubric: Criticism and Bibliography

Article type: review

For citation: Martsinkovskaya T.D. This known unknown psychology. Kul'turno-istoricheskaya psikhologiya = Cultural-Historical Psychology, 2006. Vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 114–116. (In Russ., аbstr. in Engl.)

Information About the Authors

Tatiana D. Martsinkovskaya, Doctor of Psychology, Professor, Director of the Institute, Institute of psychology named after L. Vygotsky, Russian State University for the humanities, Moscow, Russia, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2810-2554, e-mail: tdmartsin@gmail.com

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