Review of Handbook of Indian psychology.

Reviews the book, Handbook of Indian psychology, edited by K. Ramakrishna Rao, Anand C. Paranjpe, and Ajit K. Dalal (see record 2008-09634-000). The importance and development of indigenous perspectives in psychology are well-documented in recent years, and many volumes have appeared that focus on specific cultural regions. The present volume is a welcome addition to this line of work, particularly as it is just the inaugural volume in a series entitled the “Indian Psychology Book Project.” After an introductory chapter, the volume is organised into three general parts devoted to “Systems and Schools,” “Topics and Themes,” and “Applications and Implications”. The first part is largely concerned with broad cultural and theological influences on Indian psychology. The second part includes topics that are typical of western psychological approaches, including motivation, personality, cognition, emotion and consciousness, all cast within an Indian cultural perspective. In the third part, authors seek to apply specific knowledge from these domains of Indian psychology to areas of practise such as meditation and health, and organisational effectiveness. This volume presents an exceedingly rich set of materials. Those interested in comprehending human beings in all their diversity should be prepared to spend hours with this book. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The reception of Kurt Lewin in Spanish psychology: A study through specialized journal publications.

Analyzed 75 references to K. Lewin's work in 20 psychological journals, as a measure of Lewin's impact on Spanish psychology from 1920 to 1989. Results show a growing impact of his work, solidly asserting itself from the 1970s onwards in the Spanish psychological scene. Knowledge of Lewin's writings in Spain is quite wide and representative of his production as a whole. Lewin's presence is most visible in social psychological journals, works, and authors, although it may also be found in other areas, notably experimental psychology, educational psychology, and the history of psychology. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

APA Visiting Scientist Program: 1971-1972.

The American Psychological Association's Visiting Scientist Program has now completed its twelfth and final year of operation as a National Science Foundation-sponsored activity. The APA is planning to continue the program under the auspices of the Educational Affairs Office while seeking alternate funding. As in the past, the Visiting Scientist Program provided colleges and small universities with visits from eminent psychologists who offered their services as either scientific lecturers or educational consultants. Over 1,000 such visits have been made to educational institutions across the United States, 84 of which were made during 1971-1972. Throughout its existence the program has maintained the following objectives: (a) to stimulate interest in the scientific aspects of psychology at the collegiate level; (6) to present some of the new developments in psychological research and application; (c) to provide psychology departments with expert consultation regarding curricula, laboratories, staffing, programs, and procedures; (d) to acquaint students with the opportunities for advanced study and scientific and professional careers in psychology, including the teaching of psychology. For the last several years a special effort has been made to include psychologists and institutions which would serve as representatives of minority groups. This year's participants included 12 black psychologists, 9 women psychologists, and 1 Indian psychologist; 14 black institutions, and 2 women's colleges. The reports of the visits were very favorable, and the Educational Affairs Office would like to express its appreciation to all of those who contributed to the success of this year's program. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evolutionary psychology: Controversies, questions, prospects, and limitations.

Evolutionary psychology has emerged over the past 15 years as a major theoretical perspective, generating an increasing volume of empirical studies and assuming a larger presence within psychological science. At the same time, it has generated critiques and remains controversial among some psychologists. Some of the controversy stems from hypotheses that go against traditional psychological theories; some from empirical findings that may have disturbing implications; some from misunderstandings about the logic of evolutionary psychology; and some from reasonable scientific concerns about its underlying framework. This article identifies some of the most common concerns and attempts to elucidate evolutionary psychology’s stance pertaining to them. These include issues of testability and falsifiability; the domain specificity versus domain generality of psychological mechanisms; the role of novel environments as they interact with evolved psychological circuits; the role of genes in the conceptual structure of evolutionary psychology; the roles of learning, socialization, and culture in evolutionary psychology; and the practical value of applied evolutionary psychology. The article concludes with a discussion of the limitations of current evolutionary psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychology in Poland: From M. Choynowski's "On the Awakening of Polish Psychology."

"During recent years Polish psychology has been in a subservient position in the universities; applied psychological services have been reduced; in five years only one issue of the major psychological journal has appeared." Many changes are called for in Polish psychology: (a) the elimination from psychology of ideological assumptions, (b) the re-education of existing personnel, (c) developing contacts with Western psychology, (d) creating a psychological journal for publishing works by Polish authors and reporting exhaustively and quickly the psychological developments of the world at large, (e) speedy translation of some of the best introductory psychological texts in various fields, (f) establishing a Psychological Institute of the Polish Academy of Science, and (g) educating party and government officials and the society about the role which a well-established psychology can and should perform in various applied fields. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The role of work in psychological health and well-being: A conceptual, historical, and public policy perspective.

The primary theme of this article, which serves as the introductory contribution of a special section of the American Psychologist, is that work plays a central role in the development, expression, and maintenance of psychological health. The argument underlying this assumption is articulated at the outset of the article in conjunction with a historical review of vocational psychology and industrial/organizational psychology. The article follows with an overview of contemporary vocational psychology and a presentation of the psychology-of-working perspective, which has emerged from critiques of vocational psychology and from multicultural, feminist, and expanded epistemological analyses of psychological explorations of working. Three illustrative lines of inquiry in which research has affected the potential for informing public policy are presented. These three lines of scholarship (role of work in recovery from mental illness; occupational health psychology; and working, racism, and psychological health) are reviewed briefly to furnish exemplars of how the psychological study of working can inform public policy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction: Lightner Witmer's Legacy to American psychology.

Presents an overview of the legacy and contribution of Lightner Witmer (1867–1956) to the field of applied psychology. Many psychologists, beyond isolated fact, know little about Witmer or his work as a psychologist. Witmer, who began the world's first psychological clinic at the University of Pennsylvania in 1896, is credited for the radical contribution to the course of psychology's development, especially in the fields of clinical and educational psychology. Some contemporary historians have minimized Witmer's role in the history of psychology arguing that his version of clinical psychology failed to anticipate fully psychological practice independent of medicine. Witmer's legacy was to define and enact a social role for psychology and his prescient contributions established him as a signficant pioneer in the history of American psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Philosophical foundations of psychological theories: The issue of synthesis.

Examines 3 prototypical psychological perspectives represented by psychoanalysis, humanistic psychology, and behaviorism in light of their parallel philosophical world views (idealism, interactionism, and empiricism). It is suggested that both strengths and limitations are inherent in these philosophical bases. At present, incompatibility in these methodological commitments prevents true synthesis in either philosophy or psychology. The strength of psychological pluralism is stressed: Endorsing pluralism permits retention of all major content areas commonly viewed as part of psychology and appears to be the most intellectually responsible course. Four essential characteristics of pluralistic psychology are outlined. (38 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychology and proverbs: Folk psychology revisited.

Comments on T. B. Rogers's (see record 1991-03999-001) article on the role of proverbs in psychology, viewing Rogers's exposition as an advocacy of folk psychology. Rogers's contention that psychologists have set out to test proverbs as psychological hypotheses with some frequency is criticized, and potential uses of proverbs in psychological research on the human condition are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Issues in undergraduate education in psychology.

A number of specific questions are raised and discussed with regard to the role of psychology in the undergraduate college "contributing to the development of the well-rounded individual." Among those discussed are: Who is responsible for planning the over-all undergraduate program in psychology? Who is responsible for the objectives of a single course in the psychology program? Should courses be student centered or content-centered? Questions relating to the role of psychological theory, the stress on special psychological vocabulary, the desirability of placing psychological concepts in an historical perspective in an undergraduate curriculum are considered, as are several other issues regarding recruitment for graduate training. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Report of the Science Advisory Committee.

Discusses the perspective of the American Psychological Association (APA) Science Advisory Committee on psychological science (PS). Goals and objectives are presented for enhancing psychology as a science, fostering APA's role in the representation of PS, and increasing psychology as a profession and a science. An article on subdisciplines in psychology and a letter to the scientific psychology community from 3 APA presidents are appended. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological study of whole families.

Analysis of whole families is delineated as a field of psychological study. Relevance to psychology of personality and social psychology is shown. Emergence of the field is traced, and major current approaches are examined. A general conceptual framework, growing out of and integrating data from psychology and other behavioral sciences, is shown to be developing. Evidence suggests that a great range of psychological phenomena, including, illustratively, social attitudes, psychosomatic symptoms, cognitive functioning, identity formation, affiliative behavior, can be illuminated by psychological study of whole families. Principal current research methods are briefly discussed. (3-p. ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Finding "Meaning" in Psychology: A Lay Theories Approach to Self-Regulation, Social Perception, and Social Development.

Much of psychology focuses on universal principles of thought and action. Although an extremely productive pursuit, this approach, by describing only the "average person," risks describing no one in particular. This article discusses an alternate approach that complements interests in universal principles with analyses of the unique psychological meaning that individuals find in their experiences and interactions. Rooted in research on social cognition, this approach examines how people's lay theories about the stability or malleability of human attributes alter the meaning they give to basic psychological processes such as self-regulation and social perception. Following a review of research on this lay theories perspective in the field of social psychology, the implications of analyzing psychological meaning for other fields such as developmental, cultural, and personality psychology are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Darwinian theory, functionalism, and the first American psychological revolution.

American functionalist psychology constituted an effort to model scientific psychology on the successes of English evolutionary theory. In part it was a response to the stagnation of Wundt's psychological research program, which had been grounded in German experimental physiology. In part it was an attempt to make psychology more appealing within the highly pragmatic American context and to facilitate the application of psychology to domains outside of the scientific laboratory. Applications of psychology that emerged from the functionalist ethos included child and developmental psychology, clinical psychology, psychological testing, and industrial/vocational psychology. Functionalism was also the ground within which behaviorism rooted and grew into the dominant form of psychology through the middle of the 20th century. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mapping the structure and dynamics of psychological knowledge: Forty years of APA journal citations (1970–2009).

To understand how subfields of psychology relate to each other as a whole, we analyzed 40 years (from 1979 to 2009) of journal citation data collected from 17 American Psychological Association journals. The results reveal two stable underlying dimensions of psychological knowledge—basic versus applied, and population-specific versus population-general—that organize subfields of psychology. Within the structure, personality and social psychology is located at the heart of psychological knowledge. Analysis of the dynamic flow of knowledge between subfields of psychology further reveals that although the subfields engage in clear division of labor, they also engage in dynamic transactions of knowledge. Finally, an emergent subfield would first obtain its intellectual nutrients from the established disciplines. Once it has found its own niche, it turns into a spin-off and starts to assume the role of knowledge supplier. The implications of these results for psychology as a science are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A reappraisal of Wundt's influence on social psychology.

Discusses the social psychology of Wundt and its link to current developments in the constructionist movement in modern psychology. The historical lines of descent from Wundt's experimental psychology to American behaviorist social psychology are traced, and the relationship between Wundt's (1911) Volkerpsychologie to the social scientists who kept alive Wundt's social psychological orientation and who figure as antecedents of postmodern constructionism is delineated. With historical hindsight, the behaviorist program for social psychology may now be seen as an aberrant detour around the fundamental questions of social psychology. The questions asked by Wundt appear to be perennial questions. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Rebuilding the ship at sea: The historical and theoretical problems of constructionist epistemologies in psychology.

Argues that constructionist positions may provide important answers to critiques of psychological theories in the twentieth century. Focus is on the mental characterization of psychology and the intentional nature of the mental. The constructionist argument in psychology is drawn by tracing its roots in the sociology of knowledge and antifoundational philosophy. The problems of language bear centrally on the constructionist thesis, particularly the view that psychological phenomena are inherently linguistic and lingual. In recent years, constructionist programs in psychology have begun to reorient and reconstruct understandings of the subject matter in such areas as social, developmental, and cognitive psychology. The charge of relativism remains a serious challenge for the constructionist, although a coherentist interpretation of constructionist justifications may resolve this issue. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Consumer psychology as a social psychological sphere of action.

Brings to the attention of social psychologists the fact that contemporary consumer psychology is essentially social psychology utilized in a specific context, and attempts to stimulate a few social psychologists to engage in social-consumer psychological research. Consumer behavior and consumer psychology are defined and distinguished from each other, and 10 bases for justifying greater social psychological involvement in consumer research are elaborated. This involvement is considered to contribute to the development of both social psychology and the social psychologists who become so involved. (70 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A decade of psychological publications relevant to Greece: Reflections on the state of Greek psychology.

Reviews the literature on the state of Greek psychology, classifying the publications listed in Psychological Abstracts from 1973 to 1983 into the following 4 major areas: clinical psychology, child psychology, social psychology, and psychohistoric psychology. It is concluded that the low number of psychological publications reflects the lethargic state of Greek psychology. It is argued that the lack of research in academic psychology is to a great degree responsible for the inadequate provision of efficient services, such as modernized basic education, mental health care, and social work in Greece. (8 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Self and identity in modern psychology and Indian thought.

Reviews the book, Self and identity in modern psychology and Indian thought by Anand C. Paranjpe (see record 1998-08117-000). This book is an exemplary philosophical-psychological achievement, the result of extensive, sophisticated, and enlightened research. Paranjpe analyzes and compares, based on knowledge of the epistemological, ontological, and ethical foundations of psychology in both the West and India, the problem of person, self, and identity. This is a significant book, not only for the field of the history and theory of psychology but also for psychology in general. Paranjpe, who provides a wealth of knowledge unknown to most Western psychologists, demonstrates that the presumption that Western and Indian psychologies are basically incommensurable is wrong. Psychologists who are genuinely concerned with a science that goes beyond the connection of variables, who believe that incorporating a multicultural perspective into psychology will strengthen the discipline, and who talk about globalization but are interested in the generic meaning of this concept, cannot ignore this masterpiece. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)