Science of Mind: The Quest for Psychological Reality - Hardcover

Peter Du Preez

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0122249607 ISBN 13: 9780122249600

Publisher: Academic Press, 1991

Synopsis

This book explains the social factors that shape the nature of theory and research traditions in psychology. It presents a broad treatment of the construction of theory and knowledge in science and philosophy with particular emphasis on psychological thinking. Du Preez, emphasizing the "evolution of knowledge," discusses theory and research across behaviorism, psychoanalysis, phenomenology, cognitive psychology, and many other psychological areas, placing them in their socio-philosophical contexts.

Sketches a theory of mind which is reflexively applicable to the theorist**Identifies selectors which influence the evolution of research traditions**Uses Kuhn's concept of a disciplinary matrix to describe the structure of research traditions**Illustrates the concept of a research tradition by reference to existential phenomenology, psychoanalysis, genetic epistemology, and radical behaviorism

About this title

Review

This incisive, witty, and sophisticated work combines much of what is good in current philosophy of science with much of what is good in the new (i.e., external, social, and institutional) history of psychology. . . He provides a fresh perspective on the making of science. . . du Preez's text is riddled with insightful observations . . . du Preez's generally well-crafted prose and his striking metaphors, figures of speech, and examples add leavening and spice to his rich account. This relatively brief but engaging and insightful essay can be read with profit by any research (or practicing) psychologist to help clarify what it is that psychologists do, would like to do, and actually can do.
--CONTEMPORARY PSYCHOLOGY

Edition details

• Publisher: Academic Press
• Publication date: 1991
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0122249607
• ISBN 13: 9780122249600
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 240