Psychology of Rigorous Humanism

by Joseph F. Rychlak

Book Overview

In this second edition, Joseph Rychlak has retained his analysis of the philosophical antecedents of psychology and, at the same time, has considerably revised more complicated material illustration rigorous humanism to make the book more accessible for students. Rychlak here offers an analysis of the philosophical traditions underlying the social sciences and shows how functionalism came to dominate the modern science of psychology in America.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 081477413X
• ISBN13: 9780814774137
• Release Date: December 1990
• Publisher: New York University Press
• Length: 578 Pages
• Weight: 1.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 5.9" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Dense but Incredibly Enlightening

While this book is quite dense (which is, generally, Rychlak's writing style), it provides a refreshing look at paradigmatic issues in psychology. As relevant today as it was when written, this book presents the perspective that psychology requires a different perspective for understanding psychological phenomena. The paradigmatic tendency is to take an extraspective, outside-looking-in perspective on humans and an efficient causal, linear determinstic perspective on explanation. Alternatively, Rychlak argues for a intraspective, inside-looking-out perspective on humans and a final causal (purposive/telic) perspective on explanation. Rychlak argues that psychology has done a fantastically appaling job at confounding theory and method. Still, if there is one gross fault I see with this book, it is that Rychlak does exactly what he accuses Freud of: he appears to not take his perspective far enough, arguing for what amounts to a change in ontology (that, is study of being) but accepting the paradigmatic epistemology (method of science), which maintains the status quo that he spends so much time arguing against. I would definitely recommend this book (with the proviso provided).