ISSN 0439-755X
CN 11-1911/B
主办:中国心理学会
   中国科学院心理研究所
出版:科学出版社

心理学报 ›› 2007, Vol. 39 ›› Issue (01): 184-190.

• • 上一篇    

后经验主义时代的理论心理学

叶浩生   

  1. 南京师范大学心理学研究所,南京 210097
  • 收稿日期:2006-06-06 修回日期:1900-01-01 出版日期:2007-01-30 发布日期:2007-01-30
  • 通讯作者: 叶浩生

Theoretical Psychology in a Post-Empiricist Era

Ye-Haosheng   

  1. Institute of Psychology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210097, China
  • Received:2006-06-06 Revised:1900-01-01 Published:2007-01-30 Online:2007-01-30
  • Contact: Ye Haosheng

摘要: 随着经验实证主义的衰落,心理学迎来了后经验主义时代。在后经验主义时代,人们对理论和经验观察的关系有了新的理解。理论不再是经验观察的附属物,相反,经验事实是被理论决定的。理论不是经验事实的概括和归纳,而是一种文化历史的建构。后经验主义时代的理论心理学以库恩的范式论、现象学、释义学和社会建构论作为自己的哲学基础。理论的评价标准不再是与经验事实的一致性。因为经验事实由于受到理论的污染,不再是一种客观的标准。在后经验主义条件下,理论的评价标准可建立在概念和逻辑、价值观和意识形态、修辞与叙事以及实践和应用的水平上

关键词: 理论心理学, 后经验主义, 逻辑实证主义, 后现代主义, 范式论

Abstract:

With the progressive undermining of empirical positivism, psychology is now entering a post-empiricist era. New understanding has been taken on the relation between theory and observation. Theory is no more a second-class enterprise psychologists make in spare time after completing the difficult empirical researches. Rather, theory is active and the empirical facts gain their meanings from their theory. On this account, theory is not from the generalization and induction of empirical facts, instead theory is a social construction and is invented by the people in a particular culture and society. In addition, theory in a post-empiricist era is not a finished product. They are only provisional and are the conversation with our colleagues in the field of psychology. In the empiricist era, philosophical fundamentals of theoretical psychology is empiricism and positivism, but in the post-empiricist era, theoretical psychology is based on Kuhn’s theory of paradigm, Husserl’s phenomenology, hermeneutics and social constructionism. All the doctrines have stood as the critical counter to the empiricist tradition. Kuhn claims that the paradigm is in essence a theoretical framework that dictates which is a fact and which is not a fact. Therefore, theory is of importance in scientific activity. The phenomenological tradition emphasize the metaphysical method which is a kind of theoretical thinking. The hermeneutic perspective criticize the empiricist view that understanding can be derived from observation. It has laid the groundwork for what is commonly viewed as an interpretive science. According to the perspective, the study of psychological phenomena is irreducibly interpretive. Interpretation is also a way of theoretical thinking. Therefore, the hermeneutics can be in support of theoretical psychology. Social constructionism argue that no theoretical views can warrant its own truth either with evidence or empirical data, for all the theories are a social construction and we have no way to validate these claims. Psychological phenomenon are also a product of social construction. Therefore we need theoretical thinking to facilitate the capacity of theory construction. Due to the demise of the empiricist standards for evaluating theoretical positions, we need alternative criterion for evaluation. The conceptual and logic standard is one of them. The evaluation of theory does not always need the correspondence with empirical evidences. For the most problems on which psychologists investigate, theoretical psychologists can analyze them by thought with the help of the logics. The second one is value and ideological standard. For the empiricism, good science is value-neutral, ideological evaluation should not be involved in scientific investigation. However, scholars have become increasingly aware of the relationship of science to the society and culture, and have reached the conclusion that there is no means of achieving scientifically neutral theory. Therefore, the value and ideological standard can be taken as an useful criterion for theoretical psychologists. Rhetorical and narrative analysis also play an increasingly important role in scientific thinking. It is recognized that the way in which we represent the world in our theories is strongly influence by conventions of representation. Because rules of rhetoric and narration guide the process of representation, therefore, they also have an impact on the scientific inquiry. Rhetorical and narrative analysis thus become another criterion for evaluating theory. Finally, social practice and application may also function as an evaluating standard. By the combination of theory and action, the validity and usefulness of theories can be confirmed

Key words: theoretical psychology, post-empiricism, logical positivism, postmodernism, theory of paradigm

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