In Critical Thinking about Psychology the contributors attempt to
motivate psychologists to think critically about the issue of human behavior as
well as about traditional beliefs and practice methods. The authors argue in
favor of a reformulation of critical thinking that derives from contemporary
researchers, such as Stephen Brookfield (1987) from education, Richard Paul
(2001) and Robert Ennis (1982) from philosophy. This reformulation is
considered to lead to a critical analysis of all aspects of the discipline of
psychology that the members of the Div.24 (Society for Theoretical and
Philosophical Psychology) Brendt D. Slife, Jeffrey S. Reber and Frank C.
Richardson believe are essential. In order to achieve such a reformulation, we
need to have knowledge of the present assumptions and underlying worldviews in
order to develop alternative ideas and assumptions.

The content of the book is divided into six parts. Each part corresponds
to a major subdiscipline of psychology: clinical/counseling, social,
neuroscience/experimental, cognitive, developmental and
statistical/methodological. Each part consists of two chapters, the first
attempts to examine in detail current assumptions and practices and the other
explores plausible alternatives. Reputed psychologists in each subdiscipline
write the corresponding chapters thereby conveying something of their professional
or academic expertise.

In the first part of the book,
the counseling psychologist Frank Robinson addresses the issue of clinical/counseling
psychology identifying the hidden assumptions in psychotherapy and modern
psychology. Value-freedom, individualism and instrumentalism are hidden
assumptions and values. The alternative suggestion comes from another
counseling psychologist, Blaine Flowers, by employing Aristotelian virtue
ethics. Virtue ethics in a psychotherapy perspective involve personal development,
psychological well-being and the good life in order to achieve the ultimate
good, flourishing within a society as defined by Aristotle in the
fourth century B.C.E. In a nicely illustrated case study, the author argues for
the virtue ethics perspective as opposed to the instrumental individualism of
the current psychotherapy approaches.

Part II is dedicated to Social Psychology. Jeff Reber and Lisa
Osbeck, both social psychologists, investigate the limitations and advantages
of atomism, naturalism and egoism. Traditional assumptions are scrutinized
within the topics of sociality, love and helping human behavior. In Chapter 4,
the theoretical psychologist Ed Gantt, puts forward three alternative
approaches inspired from constructionist psychology, hermeneutic philosophy and
ethical phenomenology. The author draws attention to a necessary modification
of traditional values underlying social psychology.

Part III is a critical examination of issues of experimental
psychology and in particular neuroscience. This chapter focuses on
the underlying assumptions in research on the epidemiology of mental disorders
and more specifically on depression and antidepressants. The neuroscientists Dawson Hedges and Colin
Bruchfield, outline the main hypotheses that explain depression and are based
on neurobiological findings. According to them, these hypotheses involve
various assumptions, such as materialism, determinism and atomism. However, the
following chapter focuses on neuroscientific research on children who are diagnosed
with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and not on depression. The
theoretical psychologist Brent Slife and the neuroscientist Ramona Hopkins
propose a ‘holistic monism’ that values both biological and nonbiological
factors without been dualistic itself. The key factor in their suggestion is to
distinguish data from data interpretation in neuroscience research.

In discussing the issues of cognitive
psychology (Part IV)the philosopher Robert Bishop, focuses on four
assumptions that underlie cognitive science: efficient causation, instrumental
reason, individualism and atomism. In the second chapter, the cognitive
psychologist Stephen Yanhar investigates alternative ways to explain human
cognition (other than the processes of encoding, processing, storage and
retrieval). He proposes a version of contextualism, in which the mind and the
world are co-constituting parts of a greater meaning and thus share their very
natures with one another.

Part V is concerned with issues in developmental psychology. The
developmental psychologists Brian Vanderberg and Shawn O’Connor attempt to
demonstrate how historical understanding can aid critical thinking about
contemporary psychological theories. The authors give a brief outline of the
cornerstone theory in developmental psychology proposed by Piaget in the dawn
of the twentieth century and they critically discuss the cosmological,
geological and biological theories on development and the underlying
assumptions. Possible ways to overcome the Western biases that influence our
theories of development are offered in the alternative chapter by John
Christopher in order to achieve ‘…a more adequate overall theoretical or
philosophical perspective on human development …if we truly are to avoid
misinterpreting others from our cultural vantage point’ (p.210).

The final part (VI) is an assessment of topics under the umbrella of research
methods/ statistics in psychological research. These include hypothesis
testing, measurement and interpretation of the findings as well as the devotion
of psychology to traditional, empirical, scientific methods. The motivation towards
an alternative psychology comes from Jeff Sugarman and Jack Martin that
propose modified conceptions of scientific inquiry.

In the concluding part, the theoretical psychologist Suzzane Kirchner
attempts to connect common issues addressed throughout the book. These topics
include- to name but a few- the body/mind issue, individualism, contextualism
and determinism. A weakness of the book is the elusiveness that characterizes
some of the philosophical concepts employed by the authors. More terminological
explication is needed in that there are a few places where the discussion seems
philosophically perplexed. Nevertheless, the book is very well structured and
it is going to be useful to undergraduate and graduate psychology students, as
well as to non-experts, for learning how to reflect more critically on
the practices and methods in the field. It is a book that I would recommend to
anyone who likes to think critically about Psychology.

© 2005 Maria Gardani

Maria Gardani is currently completing a Ph.D. in
Psychology at the University of Glasgow, investigating the photic regulation of
the endogenous biological clock. She aims to pursue a career in clinical
psychology.

Categories: Psychology, Philosophical