Psychology and the Question of Agency

Jack Martin author Jeff Sugarman author Janice Thompson author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:State University of New York Press

Published:8th May '03

Should be back in stock very soon

This paperback is available in another edition too:

Psychology and the Question of Agency cover

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.

"Written with grace, cogency, and clarity, this book brings together a wide range of sources that are not generally accessible to psychologists. The authors' ability to synthesize these works and develop a well-articulated theory of agency is an extremely valuable contribution to the field." — Blaine J. Fowers, coauthor of Re-envisioning Psychology: Moral Dimensions of Theory and Practice

ISBN: 9780791457269

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: 263g

196 pages