Critical Psychology: Contributions to an Historical Science of the Subject

In this volume, Klaus Holzkamp and his colleagues provide a coherent and broadly elaborated description of Critical Psychology–a theory of the evolution of the social constitution of human consciousness and forms of mental activity–which has been in development in Germany for more than twenty years and constitutes a radical critique and reconstruction of scientific psychology from a dialectical and historical- materialistic point of view. Its aim is to provide a firmer foundation than presently exists for a psychology that is methodologically sound, practically relevant, and theoretically determinate. In this volume, Tolman and Maiers coordinate the contributions of several German psychologists led by Klaus Holzkamp and his colleagues. Infused with theoretical sophistication, the papers detail the implications of Critical Psychology on several fronts: a theory of emotions, forms of psychotherapy, the impact of automation in the workplace, and a theory of learning. Chapters build upon each other, going from general issues of methodology to more specific issues. Critical Psychology: Contributions to an Historical Science of the Subject is the first book to make Critical Psychology accessible to an English-speaking audience. As a central force in the exploration of activity theory, this work will be of interest to cognitive psychologists, developmental psychologists, social anthropologists, and educators.