Psychology without Foundations: History, Philosophy and Psychosocial Theory [Paperback]

This new book proposes a way out of the crisis by letting go of the idea that psychology needs 'new' foundations or a new identity, whether biological, discursive, or cognitive. The psychological is not narrowly confined to any one aspect of human experience; it is quite literally 'everywhere'. Drawing on a range of influential thinkers including Michel Serres, Michel Foucault, AN Whitehead, and Gilles Deleuze, the book proposes a strong process-oriented approach to the psychological, which studies 'events' or 'occasions.'This new book proposes a way out of the crisis by letting go of the idea that psychology needs 'new' foundations or a new identity, whether biological, discursive, or cognitive. The psychological is not narrowly confined to any one aspect of human experience; it is quite literally 'everywhere'. Drawing on a range of influential thinkers including Michel Serres, Michel Foucault, AN Whitehead, and Gilles Deleuze, the book proposes a strong process-oriented approach to the psychological, which studies 'events' or 'occasions.'`On the showing of this book, Critical Psychology (for want of a better label) has a long way to run, and a lot of work to do yet. It may well become required reading, so get in early - but expect some mind-stretching and moments of bewilderment. Oh - and recommend it to undergraduate students too; tell them how accessible it is - and run. They'll thank you when writing up their doctorates' - History and Philosophy of PsychologyI think that qualitative annd critical approaches of this kind are something of a dead end in psychology. Though the arguments are sometimes fun, they are essentially sophomoric and detached from the very real problems and issues that they true to negate through word games and sophistry.The First Word Or In the Beginning Is the Middle
Whitehead and Process
Serres and Mediation
Luhmann and Communication
Artaud and EmbodimlS