Theory and Research on Practices, Theory and Research as Practices: Hermeneutics and Psychological Inquiry.

What are the implications for theory and research in psychology of a hermeneutic perspective that takes practices as its starting point notion? The author addresses this wide-ranging issue by considering a number of specific questions in turn, including, among others, whether the hermeneutic perspective leads to rejecting systematic, quantitative research methods; whether it leads to the conclusion that efforts at theory and research provide us with an understanding of human behavior that is arbitrary; and whether a practices-based perspective points to a way of pursuing inquiry in psychology that is better than proceeding along the lines of mainstream psychology. The answers to these questions include a number of surprises, especially regarding how the hermeneutic perspective contrasts with mainstream psychology and how it differs from social constructionism. The author also identifies challenging issues for adherents of the hermeneutic perspective, including, in particular, issues concerning the limits of what we can know about psychological phenomena. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychology as public philosophy: An illustration of the moral dimension of psychology with marital research.

Suggests that contemporary marriage is at the heart of a serious cultural paradox that renders it strongly valued, but rather brittle. Scientific and therapeutic approaches to this dilemma have had limited success in resolving this problem because professionals have accepted and promoted the popular aspiration of personal fulfillment through marriage, which may have engendered the fragility of marriage. The author provides a brief hermeneutic account designed to make the incoherence of contemporary marriage more intelligible, and to clarify the moral dimension of psychology. Marital research illustrates how a hermeneutic perspective can guide a specific research domain in becoming more responsive to the essential social and ethical concerns that animate it. Suggestions for how researchers can explore why marriage is so central to modern life are offered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

More than just words: A hermeneutic view of language in psychoanalysis.

Contemporary psychoanalysis does not have a consistent view on language. Some view language as the bedrock of all communication, whereas others argue that the nonverbal is constitutive of human experience. These divergent points of view are given voice in a recent exchange in this journal between two prominent post-Freudian analysts, Doris Silverman and Stephen Mitchell. The present article suggests that a broader conceptualization of language is needed. The author endorses the hermeneutic view that language is the primary and fundamental medium through which culture, tradition, and custom are transmitted down through history. He reviews the work of psychoanalytic writers who reflect a hermeneutic sensibility and then offers a view of language for psychoanalysis based in hermeneutic principles. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Just how many different forms of culture are there?

Responds to comments by H. Takooshian (see record 2009-24989-012) and J. K. Tebes (see record 2009-24989-013) on the current author's original article, "Many forms of culture" (see record 2009-04471-003). The current author argued that psychologists tend to focus on too narrow a set of cultures (ethnic and national cultures) and some dimensions of those cultures (individualism–collectivism, independence–interdependence). He then argued that there are a number of ways in which it would be important for psychologists to expand how we theorize about culture, do research on culture, and integrate culture into clinical practice and applied settings. He discussed religion, social class, and within-country region as three examples of under-explored types of culture (Cohen, 2009). Takooshian (2010) and Tebes (2010) pointed to a potentially expanded set of cultures beyond the three examples the current author focused most on (religion, socioeconomic status/social class, region) to include age, sex, sexual orientation, physical and mental challenges, and others. The current author agrees that these are good candidates to be considered cultures as well. Even within the same household (with people sharing ethnicity, nationality, religion, social class, and region of origin), adolescent teenagers hold certain cultural outlooks different from those of their middle-aged parents. This raises the questions of just how limitless the set of cultures is and whether every group is a culture. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Dictionary of analytical psychology.

Reviews the book, Dictionary of analytical psychology by C. G. Jung (1987). It is unusual for an author to publish a dictionary based entirely upon the concepts in his or her own work, but that's precisely what this volume is. Given the title, there is an uncomfortable structure to the volume because the first half is a prose introduction to the "extroverted" and "introverted" types, with a detailed account of the thinking, feeling, sensing, and intuiting characteristics of these two personalities, while only the second half is in a traditional dictionary form. It is this moiety that catches the reader's interest and makes this publication particularly valuable. Central Jungian terms are described, with definitions averaging about a page in length each, long enough to provide some substantial information about each concept. Reading through the dictionary is a sentimental experience, revealing how much the philosophical tradition mastered by Jung has now been lost in developmental and psychoanalytic thought. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The repeated reproduction of Bartlett's Remembering.

There is a striking parallel between the treatment of F. C. Bartlett's theories of memory in the psychological literature and Bartlett's own characterization of reproductive memory as interest driven and constructive. Three periods of intensified interest in Bartlett's classic book Remembering (1932/1995) can be identified. The lst occurred in the wake of the publication of Remembering and focused on replication and extension of the empirical work. The 2nd was during the period of the "cognitive revolution" and treated Bartlett's key theoretical concept of "schema" within an information-processing framework. The 3rd is an ongoing revitalization of interest in the cultural and social aspects of Bartlett's multifaceted theory. Each wave of increased interest in Bartlett's work has brought different aspects of his thinking to the fore, producing different versions of his theory of remembering that reflect the theoretical climate of the time. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychotherapy and moral discourse.

Argues that psychotherapy's (PT's) claim to be a universal scientific practice that objectively treats ahistorical illnesses is untenable. PT is a cultural product, so it both reflects and reproduces its cultural context. Because cultural context is in part composed of moral traditions embedded in political structures, PT is unavoidably a moral practice with political consequences. Implicit moralities in current practices are discussed. Philosophical hermeneutics in PT practice are offered as an alternative. In a discussion of intersecting traditions, it is suggested that a hermeneutic perspective can portray the keeping of family secrets as a commitment to a particular moral code, rather than the products of a "dysfunctional family." If PT theories can be changed so that they are more historically situated, and if PT practices can be changed to use hermeneutics, then a different moral frame can be put forth. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ethical knowledge, language, and the unconscious: Reply to Orange (2000).

The author replies to D. Orange's (2000) appreciative response to his article by exploring the notion of dialogical praxis and the relationship between unconsciousness and language. The moral and ethical aspects of analytic theory and practice are suggested to be indispensable in the effort to reconceptualize along practical or pragmatic lines. The author also favors the idea that language enriches and, to an extent, transforms and creates human experience, a view that is based on an encompassing view of language. It is suggested that only by appreciating how analytic theory and practice are embedded within a larger cultural stream of values and meanings will it be possible to sort out the contributions and limitations of psychoanalysis in the search for a more decent society and a more fulfilling way of life. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

L. S. Vygotsky and contemporary developmental psychology.

Central themes from L. S. Vygotsky's writings that have particular relevance for contemporary developmental psychology are outlined, and these ideas are extended in light of recent theoretical advances in the social sciences and humanities. The discussion focuses primarily on Vygotsky's claims about the social origins and social nature of higher (i.e., uniquely human) mental functioning and on his understanding of culture. His claims about the social origins of individual mental functioning have implications for the definition of terms such as "cognition" and "memory" as well as for how empirical research on these processes can be pursued. His understanding of culture is shown to be derivative of his account of the "psychological tools" that mediate human mental functioning. It is argued that efforts need to be made to elaborate a notion of culture within a Vygotskian framework that takes into account contemporary ideas and findings in the social sciences and humanities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Parallels between multiculturalism and disunity in psychology.

Comments on the article on multiculturalism by B. J. Fowers and F. C. Richardson (see record 83-30335). Fowers and Richardson's hermeneutic approach also appears applicable to the problem of disciplinary disunity in psychology and the associated threat of relativism. In both cases, psychologists must deal with increasing diversity in an intellectual atmosphere in which there is no universal foundation for evaluating claims of knowledge or cultural correctness. Particularly helpful in overcoming relativism is an openness to claims of truth and morality. Such claims provide a shared context in which members of a culture can communicate and evaluate their differences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Expanding the conceptualization and measurement of applied problem solving and coping: From stages to dimensions to the almost forgotten cultural context.

The purpose of this article is to suggest an expansion of the conceptualizations and measurement of applied problem solving and, relatedly, coping. The author discusses the evolution of his programmatic line of research over the last 30 years to illustrate the changing landscape in applied problem solving and, to a lesser extent, in the coping literature. Developments from the early stage-sequential models of applied problem solving to the utility of combining major dimensions of applied problem solving and coping are discussed, as are the notion of problem resolution as a way of assessing consequences of coping, and finally, the use of East Asian cultural values to assess collectivistic coping styles. The overlooked and until recently almost forgotten role of culture in the evolution of these general domains of inquiry is highlighted. The author concludes that greater attention to the cultural context will expand psychology's theoretical models, greatly enhance our empirically based understanding of applied problem solving/coping, and promote our ability to enhance effective problem solving and coping around the world. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A second invitation to dialogue: Multiculturalism and psychology.

Replies to comments by G. C. Hall et al, T. Teo and A. R. Febbraro, M. Gaubatz, and S. C. Yanchar and B. D. Slife (see records 84-35056, 35062, 35053, and 35063, respectively) on the authors' article (see record 83-30335) regarding multiculturalism and psychology. The value of critique is apparent in the multicultural, critical theory, postmodern, and hermeneutic viewpoints expressed. These comments illustrate how difficult it is to establish common ground, for all 4 of these perspectives share a common critical stance toward mainstream social science's failure to come to grips with the cultural and temporal embeddedness of human life. Specific points of the comments are individually addressed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Narcissism and intimacy: Love and marriage in an age of confusion.

Reviews the book, Narcissism and intimacy: Love and marriage in an age of confusion by Marion F. Solomon (see record 1988-98781-000). This book presents a rather unique blend of theoretical explorations and clinical case material which provides the reader with an extremely valuable look at issues facing the survival of marital relationships in our present culture. Beginning with a sociological perspective of how our culture has come to value autonomy and self-fulfillment, the author then identifies a series of "narcissistic myths" and goes on to explore how these myths impact on realistic perspectives of marriage and intimate relationships. The reviewer believes that this book has a wealth of readable theoretical material along with clinical case examples which bring the theoretical perspectives alive and translate them into tools for effective treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Many forms of culture.

Psychologists interested in culture have focused primarily on East–West differences in individualism–collectivism, or independent–interdependent self-construal. As important as this dimension is, there are many other forms of culture with many dimensions of cultural variability. Selecting from among the many understudied cultures in psychology, the author considers three kinds of cultures: religion, socioeconomic status, and region within a country. These cultures vary in a number of psychologically interesting ways. By studying more types of culture, psychologists stand to enrich how they define culture, how they think about universality and cultural specificity, their views of multiculturalism, how they do research on culture, and what dimensions of culture they study. Broadening the study of culture will have far-reaching implications for clinical issues, intergroup relations, and applied domains. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Heeding warnings ... from the canary, the whale, and the Jnuit, Part Two

There is a tension between traditional and modern definitions of reproductive risk and normalcy. These experts describe that tension as it plays out among the Inuit of Northern Canada from the perspective of a community midwife who has worked with the Inuit. She presents an analytical framework which classifies and illuminates the types of logic that compete in most birth settings around the world--a framework useful for showing how some types of logic can be supervalued while others, such as cultural or intuitive logic, are devalued or simply ignored, often at great cost. Part One presented political, scientific, clinical and cultural logic, and the influence of time. We now go on to look at professionalization and training and describe legal, personal, intuitive and economic logic. The author describes how the Inuit settlement of Povungnituk (POV) attempts to re-integrate the authoritative knowledge of the community by allowing Inuit midwives at The Maternity to choose their own criteria for balancing the imperatives of each kind of logic in decision-making for birth.     

Dynamics of Race and Culture in the Supervisory Encounter.

The rapid increase in racial/ethnic minority populations in the United States implicates the necessity of implementing new approaches to the training of psychologists. The author proposes that the integration of racial and cultural diversity related issues in clinical supervision is an essential component of clinical and teaching competence, which has important implications for the provision of services to ethnic minorities and, more broadly, to better addressing the full realm of clients' intrapsychic and interpersonal worlds. Psychodynamic aspects of the supervisory encounter, such as the narcissistic struggles of the supervisor and supervisee and racial and cultural elements in transference, contribute to supervisory interactions around race and culture. Clinical illustrations are discussed to elaborate these dynamic processes. Recommendations for supervisors on how to explore race and culture in a safe supervisory space are presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Entering the circle: Hermeneutic investigation in psychology.

Reviews the book, Entering the circle: Hermeneutic investigation in psychology edited by R.B. Addison and M.J. Packer (1989). Entering the Circle is highly recommended, if only to familiarize us with (or remind us of) the penetrating critique and contribution that hermeneutic thought offers psychology. In addition this book should be recommended because it contains, perhaps more so then other books of this genre, a diverse group of essays (dealing with developmental, clinical, social and educational psychology) that grapple with methodological and practical issues of hermeneutic psychology by reporting on research that is grounded, to a greater or lesser extent, in a hermeneutic approach. Also, another distinctive aspect of this book is that it is almost entirely devoted to the concerns of hermeneutics (the catchword "interpretive," often used in this book, I take to be interchangeable with "hermeneutic"), and thereby distinguishes itself from what has come to be known as existential or phenomenological psychologies—a distinction that for many purposes is unnecessary but may prove to be helpful in the future. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mind, brain and explanation.

The question "What constitutes a good explanation of psychological phenomena?" is the most important if not the most commonly asked question facing students of psychology. Often this question is answered, or maybe is cast aside, by adopting the position that any theory that can predict behavior therefore explains the behavior. However, the notion of prediction is not one without controversy. In this article the author has attempted to demonstrate that neither the identity thesis nor functionalism is well suited to providing a framework for psychological explanations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An interrogation of the relational turn: A discussion with Stephen Mitchell.

The point of this commentary is to engage in a discussion about relational ideas with the leading exponent of this position, S. Mitchell (see record 1998-00310-001). He has set forth important views that are recognized and discussed by contemporary analysts. The author's engagement in this dialogue grows out of her interest in increasing clarity, consistency, and greater warrant and rationality for the position that ultimately emerges. The author initially addresses the writings of a couple of important hermeneutic philosophers to highlight their ties to an Enlightenment tradition, a tradition that Mitchell suggested most contemporary philosophers eschew. She then takes up the issue of validity and utility because it is believed that these issues are often entangled in the psychoanalytic discourse. Lastly, the author addresses what she thinks is a serious divergence of views; her interest is in establishing psychoanalysis on an empirical base, one that is consistent with data emerging from the neurobiological sciences, and she stresses the need to join both the hermeneutic and scientific aspects of psychoanalysis. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Will managed care change our way of being?

The authors studied psychotherapeutic practices commonly used in managed care settings and the theories and rhetorical strategies that justify them to speculate about if or how they are beginning to influence societywide understandings about the proper way of being human at the turn of the millennium. The practices—and effects—of managed care regulations on the self are interpreted by studying how the patient, the therapist, and the therapeutic relationship come to light in managed care settings. These categories are then used to speculate about the configuration of the newly emerging, 21st-century self. By extending hermeneutic concerns about instrumentalism and technicism, the authors suggest a new way of thinking about psychotherapy modeled less on positivist science and more on moral discourse. Finally, given this more hermeneutic understanding of psychotherapy, the authors speculate about alternative conceptions and arrangements of care. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)