A psychological analysis of a psychological phenomenon
The Dialogical Construction of Meaning
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3080647 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Ingrid E Josephs (corresponding author) |
| Year | 2000 |
| Volume | 39 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 115-129 |
| Publication date | 2000-03-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Social Science Information (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0539-0184 • E-ISSN: 1461-7412 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1177/053901800039001007 |
| OpenAlex | W2048332508 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 7 |
It is the task of psychologists to describe and explain psychological phenomena, though the meaning of both description and explanation varies widely. One way to deal with psychological phenomena is to transform them as soon as possible into data (by which is meant quantitative data), which then can be analysed by ready-made methods (by which is meant inferential statistics). An unfortunate result of this politically fortified procedure is that the availability of methods (for data "collection" and analysis) comes to dictate the whole research process, including the construction of the phenomenon and its operationalization. As a consequence, various opponents of this non-scientific procedure have challenged psychology with a new dogma: the need to replace quantitative methods by their qualitative counterparts. Recently appearing "new turns" in psychology (as the narrative, the hermeneutic, the discursive turn, etc.) in particular, define qualitative approaches as the via regia for psychological analyses. I argue that both "schools" are caught in the same trap: ready-made methods and belief in the superiority of one rather than the other dominate all other aspects of methodology and psychological inquiry in general. I suggest that it is the theoretically derived phenomenon that - depending on the specific research question under consideration - requires the construction (rather than the application) of an adequate method for its analysis - be it qualitative or quantitative. I give an extended example for a psychological analysis of a psychological phenomenon - the construction and reconstruction of meaning - with the help of a qualitative experimental approach
Cognitive psychology · Dialogical self · Epistemology · Linguistics · Narrative · Operationalization · Phenomenon · Psychological research · Qualitative research · Social science · Sociology · Academic and Historical Perspectives in Psychology · Language, Metaphor, and Cognition · Psychology · Social Psychology · Social Representations and Identity
| Unique citing works | 4 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0.25 |
| Citation span | 2010 - 2016 (7) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 3 |