Critical Theory Flashcards
What is critical psychology?
a branch of psychology that is aimed at critiquing mainstream psychology and attempts to apply psychology in more progressive ways
What is one of critical psychology’s main criticisms of conventional psychology?
how it fails to consider or deliberately ignores the way power differences between social classes and groups can impact the mental and physical well being of individuals or groups of people
What does critical theory involve?
the critical examination of society and culture with the aim of discovering the nature of problems afflicting society
What other theories does critical theory draw from?
sociology, literary theory, and other subdivisions of the humanities and social sciences
What two ways are critical psychology used to apply critical theory?
1) it is intended to critique traditional psychological practice and theories
2) it is intended to apply psychological theories to understanding and solving problems in modern society
What are the historical roots of critical theory?
marxism and freudian social critiques
What are the critiques of psychology?
gaze, reductionism, positivism, interpretation, neutrality (fake)
What are the hopes for psychology?
alliances, culture, alienation, action research, standpoint
What does critical psychologists believe that main stream psychology fails to consider?
power differences and discrimination between social classes and groups can impact individuals or a groups mental and physical well being
What does critical psychologists say that main stream psychology ignores?
institutional racism, postcolonialism, social justice for minority groups, gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, LGBTQ+ or disability
What is a critical theory’s distinctive aim?
to unmask the ideology falsely justifying some form of social or economic oppression- to reveal it as ideology- and in so doing to contribute to the task of ending the oppression
Frankfurt School
Founded by Horkheimer, Adorno, Marcuse, and Habermas- develop and refine this marxian project of providing a critical theory of capitalist economy and social relations
Who is considered the theoretical founder of critical psychology?
Klaus Holzkamp- his main message is that mainstream psychology serves the interest of the power elite by disregarding the ability of humans to change their like circumstances
Radical Psychology
1960/1970’s- term used by psychologists to denote a branch of the field which rejected conventional psychology’s focus on the individual as the basic unit of analysis and sole source of psychopathology
