From Scientific Psychology to the Study of Persons: A Psychologist’s Memoir (Advances in Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology)

This is a critical, personalized approach to reframing the discipline of psychology through a singular narrative in the form of a memoir written by a successful research psychologist. In this book we follow Martin’s unique career, which has allowed him to understand and adopt different perspectives and ways of approaching psychology, from working in applied areas like educational and counseling psychology to more specialized areas like theory and history of psychology. His journey through and within the field describes his movement away from scientifically based psychology, which views teachings and interventions to be primarily underwritten by hard scientific evidence. Martin exposes the flaws in this approach and highlights the importance of focusing on the study of persons in their life contexts over the use of aggregated group results to ensure that the discipline survives and flourishes. This is an impactful and universally applicable book with valuable insights for students and scholars of psychology today, particularly those studying history of psychology, theoretical psychology, and philosophical psychology. Cover Half Title Series Page Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Table of Contents Series Foreword Acknowledgments Chapter 1 My Life in Psychology: An Introduction Persons as Active Agents in Our Lives The Limits of Scientific Psychology Concerning Persons in Our Life Contexts Studying Persons in Their Life Contexts The Story Told in This Memoir An Overview of What Follows References Chapter 2 Early Life and Education: Questions and Ambivalences Undergraduate Studies at the University of Alberta Graduate Studies Post-Doctoral Years References Chapter 3 My First Academic Appointment: Survival and Credibility Trying to Fit In Initial Research on Teaching and Counseling Sabbatical at Deakin University Back Home but Far from Settled References Chapter 4 Academic Success and Personal Dissonance: My Theoretical Turn Research on How Psychotherapy Works Sabbatical at the University of Iowa and the Benefits of Travel Finishing Up and Moving On References Chapter 5 Finding a Home: In Full Pursuit of Persons Settling in upon My Return Developing a Psychology of Personhood A New Location and Some New Directions A Critique of Psychology in Education A Biographical Turn: Position Exchange and Life Positioning Analysis Rounding out a Career References Chapter 6 Retrospective: Reaching for a Psychology of Persons Gearing Down Life Writing as a Primary Source and Method for a Psychology of Persons The Good and Evil Persons Do Persons in Plain View Taking Stock of My Life in Psychology A Way Forward? References Index "This is a critical, personalized approach to reframing the discipline of psychology through a singular narrative in the form of a memoir written by a successful research psychologist. In this book we follow Martin's unique career, which has allowed him to understand and adopt different perspectives and ways of approaching psychology, from working in applied areas like educational and counseling psychology to more specialized areas like theory and history of psychology. His journey through and within the field describes his movement away from scientifically-based psychology, which views teachings and interventions to be primarily underwritten by hard scientific evidence. Martin exposes the flaws in this approach and highlights the importance of focusing on the study of persons in their life contexts over the use of aggregated group results to ensure that the discipline survives and flourishes. This is an impactful and universally applicable book with valuable insights for students and scholars of psychology today, particularly those studying history of psychology, theoretical psychology and philosophical psychology"-- Provided by publisher