Psychology - culture, mind and the self

Some reflections on the study of mand and mind

Resumé

The low level of conceptual analysis and validity in our theories, and subsequently the use of methodological-statistical devices to cover up for conceptual deficiencies, can be traced to the manner in which psychologists, consciously or unconsciously, have embraced the philosophy of essentialism. That this unholy alliance gave rise to instrumentalism and constructivism
under the overarching framework of positivism is not surprising. What also followed, unfortunately, was that various psychologies attempted to develop theories that were ahistorical and context-free. This neglect of the culturel normative dimension is being
rectified in some circles, but it appears that the confrontation will have to be much more radical in light of the strongholds being developed in other circles. Developing the themes of culture, mind and self has been taken up in the process of a struggle with certain basic assumptions in psychology, and in a tentative search for more wholesome theories. It points the way to some interesting avenues of study in which both relativistic and universalistic perspectives can be accommodated.