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Psychological science in a postmodern context.

K J Gergen1

  • 1Department of Psychology, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA 19081, USA. kgergen1@swarthmore.edu

The American Psychologist
|October 26, 2001
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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Postmodern scholarship challenges traditional views of knowledge and truth, emphasizing communal construction and relational objectivity. This perspective offers new avenues for psychological science research and practice, potentially transforming the field.

Area of Science:

  • Philosophy of Science
  • Psychological Research Methods

Background:

  • Postmodern scholarship questions core assumptions in science, including individual knowledge, objectivity, and absolute truth.
  • It proposes knowledge as communally constructed, objectivity as relational, and truth as context-dependent and linguistically mediated.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the implications of postmodern thought for psychological science.
  • To re-evaluate traditional research paradigms in light of new epistemological frameworks.
  • To identify emerging theoretical, methodological, and practical opportunities within psychology.

Main Methods:

  • Conceptual analysis of postmodern philosophical tenets.
  • Examination of their potential application to psychological inquiry.
  • Review of current trends in psychological research and theory.

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Main Results:

  • Postmodern perspectives do not negate psychological science but offer a richer understanding of its foundations.
  • New questions arise regarding the role of culture and context in psychological phenomena.
  • Opportunities exist for innovative research designs and interpretations of findings.

Conclusions:

  • Integrating postmodern insights can enhance the theoretical and practical significance of psychological science.
  • This shift encourages a more nuanced and culturally sensitive approach to psychological research.
  • The profession may be on the cusp of significant transformation.