Category: Theoretical Psychology

General Psychology philosophical psychology Theoretical Psychology

Interview with Prof. Barbara Held

By Davood Gozli | by Davood Gozli

Last week, I had the pleasure of interviewing Prof. Barbara Held, a distinguished clinical and philosophical psychologist. Her lifelong emphasis on critical and clear thinking was profoundly palpable and personal. It showcased not only her academic rigor but also her deep personal commitment to truth. While I encourage you to listen to the interview yourself, here are some of the main topics we covered together: Beyond Postmodernism: Prof. Held challenges postmodernism in psychotherapy, emphasizing the…

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Phenomenological Psychology Phenomenology Theoretical Psychology

Disquiet

By Davood Gozli | by Davood Gozli

The following excerpts are from the article, “Disquieting experiences and conversation,” by Lívia Mathias Simão (2020), published in Theory & Psychology. Disquieting experiences, according to Simão, are inseparable from human life, to the extent that we strive to know ourselves, others, and our shared realities. We are continually acting based on what we believe and we also enact our desires to know (our questions). These actions take place against a background. It’s in the background…

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critical psychology history of psychology philosophical psychology philosophy of science Theoretical Psychology

Jeff Sugarman on Psychologism

By Davood Gozli | by Davood Gozli

In his Chapter, An Historical Turn in Theoretical & Philosophical Psychology, Jeff Sugarman (2019) begins by distinguishing three different approach to historiography (borrowing from Nikolas Rose). Among the three approaches, he introduces and adopts ‘critical history’. One of the aims of critical history is to explicate styles of reasoning that are operating in the background of scientific activities. Styles of reasoning (Alistair C. Crombie; Ian Hacking) provide conditions of possibility for research questions, methods, and…

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critical psychology General Psychology Teaching Theoretical Psychology

Systems & Theories Class (Fall 2019)

By Davood Gozli | by Davood Gozli

What was unique about this semester: We discussed Brian Haig’s (2014) Investigating the Psychological World. A few students got involved with the book, but I think most students focused only on the chapter they were responsible for. I kept returning to the question, Why did Haig write this book? (especially given that psychological researchers don’t need to read such a book to perform their research activities). And I wanted the students to at least be…

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Academia Theoretical Psychology Writing

On Arguments (Part 1)

By Davood Gozli | by Davood Gozli

For the past three and a half years, I have been trying ways of teaching my students about argumentative writing. How should we distinguish an argument from a non-argument? Why is it useful to practice writing arguments? Sometimes students challenge me: “What you consider to be an argument isn’t the only possible form of argument.” Usually, this happens after someone submits a very well-done literature review, expecting a good grade. It can also happen when…

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