Recent Trends in Theoretical Psychology

This volume constitutes the proceedings of the second biannual conference of the International Society for Theoretical Psychology (see Epilogue) held in Banff, Alberta, Canada, April 20-25, 1987. Thirty-nine papers were presented during the four days of the conference including an invited address by Kenneth Gergen. Unfortunately, even after severely restricting the length of the written papers, the required limitation on printed space permitted only 34 of these to be included in these proceed ings. While most of the papers required editorial adjustment, the authors had final word on style and content. The classification of conference papers tends to be somewhat arbi trary' but we decided to structure the chapters under four headings: phi losophy, metatheory, methodology, and theory. By philosophy we refer primarily to issues in the philosophy of science as these pertain to the dis cipline of psychology. Metatheory refers to theory, drawing on the philo sophy of science and having implications for methodology, about psycho logical theories. Methodology refers to both theory of inquiry and specif ic methods of investigation as these derive from philosophical and meta theoretical considerations. By theory we refer to both analyses of the foundations of extant theory, including historical and sociological ana lyses, and the advancement of substantive theory.

Philosophy.- The Concept of Progress in Psychological Theory.- Need Rhetorical Analysis Lead to Relativism? An Examination of the Views of K. J. Gergen.- Theoretical Unification in Psychology: A Materialist Perspective.- Psychology Between Ecological Laws and the Scientific Revolution.- Scientific Epistemology: A Psycholiterary Approach.- The Implications of Differential Theory Appraisal and the Context of Discovery for Advancing Theory in Psychology.- Epistemic Beliefs and their Developmental Relationship to Post-Positivist Psychology.- Complementarity, Causal Isomorphism, and the Mind-Body Problem.- Metatheory.- On Theory and Method in Psychology.- Psychology's Relation to Biology: Qualitatively Distinct Levels.- Interpretation Styles of Psychologists and their Consequences for Psychology.- Predicational Versus Mediational Theorizing In Psychology.- Skinner's Philosophy and Metatheory: A Metatheoretical Analysis.- Has Psychology Exaggerated Its "Natural Scientific Character"?.- Cognitive Representation: A Psychology in Search of Mentality.- The Conceptual Distinction Between Propositional and Skillful Knowing.- Methodology.- Validity and Reliability from a Phenomenological Perspective.- The Units of Analysis Problem in Psychology: An Examination and Proposed Reconciliation.- Meaning Horizon, Paraphrase, and Phenomenological Investigations in Psychology.- On History and System, and Social Psychology.- Understanding the Complex Dynamics of Human Stability and Change.- The Concept of Transition in Developmental Theories.- The Introduction of Construct Validity to the Assessment Field: An Historical Analysis.- On Paying Attention.- Theory.- Ludwig Von Bertalanffy's Contribution to Theoretical Psychology.- Category Mistakes in Act* and Gaps: Remarks onAnderson's Adaptive Control of Thought and Tulving's General Abstract Processing System.- On Objective and Subjective Anchoring of Cognitive Acts: How Behavioural Valence Modifies Reasoning Schemata.- Piagetian Theory Reconsidered: An Interpretive Reading of Piaget.- The Practice of Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine Whither Theory?.- The Role of Cognition in Emotional Experience.- A Three-Dimensional Model of the Brain and Psychopathology.- Moral Objectivity: Toward a New Understanding of Intuition.- Models of Layered Structure in Personality.- Epilogue.- The Current Direction of Theoretical Psychology: An Epilogue.- Author Index.