Psychology and the Question of Agency
€115.90
Product Information
| ISBN | 9780791457252 |
|---|---|
| Publisher | State University of New York Press |
| Publishing Date | 08/05/2003 |
| Price (excl. tax) | €109.34 |
| Tax | €6.56 |
| Price (incl. tax) | €115.90 |
| Availability | 1 unit in external warehouse |
Product Description
Looks at the limits of free will in human action.
Disciplinary psychology has failed to achieve a coherent conception of human agency. Instead, it oscillates between two differing conceptions of agency that are equally untenable: a scientistic, reductive approach to choice and action, and an instrumental approach that celebrates a romantic notion of free will. This book examines theoretical, philosophical psychology and argues for a historically and socioculturally situated human capacity for choosing and acting in ways not entirely determined by culture and/or biology. The authors present a detailed developmental theory of how agentic capability emerges from the pre-reflective activity of humans in a real physical and social world. Implications of the theory are considered for psychological research and practice, and for the broader socio-political impact of disciplinary psychology in Western liberal democracies.