Society for Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology

Constructing the Psychological Humanities

That the discipline of psychology is treated as a “science” and nothing more is reductive and constraining – on this we can all agree. We, in Division 24, have long argued for the pluralization of methods, the incorporation of the humanities, and the broadening of psychological discourse to include its theoretical and philosophical foundations. In recent years, a burgeoning interest in what has been called the “psychological humanities” has emerged with many of us hoping that it will galvanize these interdisciplinary realignments. We’ve come to this with different rationales. Some have seen in this movement the capacity for uncovering the power structures at work beneath our subjectivities (e.g., Rutherford, Teo), others a means of seeking greater fidelity to human experience (e.g., Freeman), and others a recognition of the moral and cultural horizons our psychological technologies reflect and reinforce (e.g., Cushman, Marecek). Behind this plurality of hopes and ambitions, there is a worthwhile question: Why is the development of a psychological humanities important and what is it in the service of?

This year’s presidential theme does not seek to resolve this question or provide a common ground. Rather, it invites us to give an account of ourselves, to deepen our understanding and articulation of why we desire a more human, humane, and humanities-informed psychology. What would such a psychology look like? Who would it serve? The various interests and commitments we bring to these questions open the possibility of a community living with a fuller and more diverse vision of the future – in dialogue together.