Psychology's search for unity |
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Affiliation: | 1. University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 4505 Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA;2. California State University, Dominguez Hills, 1000 East Victoria Street, Carson, CA 90747, USA;1. WSB University in Poznań, Al. Powstańców Wlkp. 5, 61-895 Poznań, Poland;2. Plymouth Graduate School of Management, Mast House, Plymouth PL4 8AA, United Kingdom |
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Abstract: | Arguments for unifying psychology's disparate elements are examined in relation to the actualities of scientific practice. These arguments are often based on such implicit unexamined assumptions as: (1) psychology resembles physics conceptually and historically; (2) there is an underlying rational order to knowledge which will define and justify the direction unification will take; (3) there is a knowable reality independent of our perceptions; (4) the outcome of unification will resemble a harmonious family working for the common good of “knowledge” and “truth.” While these assumptions have plausibility, it is argued that alternative views have equally legitimate claims and if we accept them, the possibility of unifying psychology becomes more problematic. Psychology's desire for unification appears parallel to a similar yearning within society that seeks to counteract the fragmentation of social life and consciousness that characterizes modernity. |
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