Psychology: Debates and Controversies

Psychology: Debates and Controversies is about the contested nature of psychology, one of the most fascinating and important disciplines on the formation of human subjectivity. The book delves into critical debates over numerous key questions. Is psychology a natural science or a social science? Why is quantification and experimental logic so central to psychology? What kind of paradigmatic shift does qualitative research in psychology require? How does one understand an 'individual in context'? How does psychology understand the gendered basis of subjectivity? What does the medical model tell us about normality and abnormality? The book reflects upon and interrupts the dominant theories of psychology as told by academic and professional psychologists. It then aids in re-envisioning psychology along pathways that are different from the mainstream. Rather than asking the question 'which perspective is more valid?', the work strives to raise the question 'what is it valid for', which focuses the attention on the ideological ends and goals of different discourses of psychology. Key Features: - Exposes the ideological nature of mainstream scientific psychology - Critically interrogates the images of 'mind', 'individual', 'gender', 'social', 'cultural' that mainstream psychology offers - Reforms psychology along diverse epistemological and methodological lines of enquiry - Presents the salient debates in psychology in a dialogical and argumentative manner to encourage readers to become curious and seek more answers - Gathers, analyzes and re-presents the diverse strands of psychological thought available for a set of core issues under one title