Methods of Theoretical Psychology

Theoretical psychology stands in the same relation to psychology as theoretical physics does to physics. The traditional way to study theoretical psychology is to take up one approach after another--behavioral, psychoanalytic, cognitive, and so on. The aim of this book is not to impart a substantive knowledge of core psychological theories, or even to analyze critically selected theories. Instead, it is to prepare the reader to analyze and advance the theoretical literature in any tradition.A good theoretician should be able to contribute to the study of psychoanalytic theory as readily as to behavioral theory. The skills required are the same. Instead of covering a sequence of theories, therefore, the book is organized around types of theoretical activities. It is not a work in theoretical psychology; it is a book about theoretical psychology. It also confronts psychologists' underestimation of the variety and the significance of theoretical work. Many theoretical issues do not call for empirical research--they require nothing but thinking.

ISBN 0262112612   Pages 325 ISBN13 9780262112611 (What's this?)   Volumes 1 Publisher MIT Press Ltd   Weight (grammes) 584 Imprint MIT Press   Published in Cambridge, Mass. Format Hardback   Series title Bradford Books Publication date 22 Jun 2001   Height (mm) 229 Library of Congress 00048039   Width (mm) 152 DEWEY 150.1   Spine width (mm) 20 DEWEY edition DC21   Academic level Undergraduate, Postgraduate, Professional / Scholarly

		Preface
1		The Enterprise of Theoretical Psychology		1
2		Basic Tools		13
3		Theories and Data		41
4		Constructing and Evaluating Theories		59
5		Deriving and Testing Empirical Hypotheses		81
6		Theoretical Amplification		109
7		Theoretical Simplification		141
8		Necessary Propositions		171
9		Conceptual Issues		195
10		The Contingent A Priori		215
		References		237
		Index		245

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