Contextualizing Psychology

'This book is an excellent guide to scientific thinking. The content is relevant for several scientific disciplines where human thoughts, feelings, experience, and behavior are focused. One such example could be nursing research. The last chapter contains very useful end questions, especially for doctoral students in development of scientific thinking.' Marianne Carlsson, Professor Emeritus of Caring Sciences, Uppsala University, Sweden 'Eva Magnusson and Jeanne Marecek have long been in the vanguard of psychologists who advance the study of human beings as socially and culturally situated persons. In this remarkably clear and accessible book, they bring together the work of philosophers, anthropologists, and critical psychologists to take this project to the next level. With an emphasis on language and meaning, they explain why a truly contextualized psychology does not only entail using interpretative, discursive, or sociocultural methods. It also involves thinking critically about the assumptions, contradictions, and limitations of every psychological theory and practice one encounters.' Suzanne R. Kirschner, Professor Emerita of Psychology, College of the Holy Cross, USA 'With dazzling breadth and intriguing ideas, this book upends many of the taken-for-granted ways of understanding the subject matter and research practices of Western psychology. By persuasively arguing for placing socially and culturally situated persons at the heart of psychological theorizing and research, the authors show how we can think differently about the discipline of psychology. A must-read, particularly for course instructors and senior students.' Linda McMullen, Professor Emerita of Psychology, University of Saskatchewan, Canada