The Case for Pragmatic Psychology

von Daniel Fishman

416 Seiten, Hardcover

Kurzbeschreibung des Verlags

A cursory survey of the field of psychology reveals raging debate among psychologists about the methods, goals, and significance of the discipline, psychology's own version of the science wars. The turn-of-the-century unification of the field has given way to a proliferation of competing approaches, a postmodern carnival of theories and methods that calls into question the positivist psychological tradition.Bridging the gap between the traditional and the new, Daniel B. Fishman proposes an invigorated, hybrid model for the practice of psychology -- a radical reinvention of psychology based on philosophical pragmatism and a methodology creating databases of rigorous, solution-focused case studies. In The Case for Pragmatic Psychology, Fishman demonstrates how pragmatism returns psychology to a focus on contextualized knowledge about particular individuals, groups, organizations, and communities in specific situations, sensitive to the complexities and ambiguities of the real world. Fishman fleshes out his theory by applying pragmatic psychology to two contemporary psychosocial dilemmas -- the controversies surrounding the "psychotherapy crisis" generated by the growth of managed care, and the heated culture wars over educational reform.Moving with ease from the theoretical to the nuts and bolts of actual psychological intervention programs, Fishman proffers a strong argument for a new kind of psychology with far-reaching implications for enhancing human services and restructuring public policy.

• Reihe: NYU Press
• ISBN: 9780814726747
• Sprache: Englisch
• Erscheinungsdatum: 01.01.1999
• Größe: 229 x 152 mm
• Verlag: NYU Press - IPS