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A New Unified Theory of Psychology

A New Unified Theory of Psychology

by Gregg Henriques
"..one of the most cogent, scholarly .. presentations ... that I have seen in my 50 years in the discipline.”

It’s also worthing taking a look here. The Tree of Knowledge component of Gregg’s work has relevance beyond psychology.

Commentary by TLLP

Description


With grand, inclusive theories of psychology such as Freud’s now largely discredited, psychological enquiry is focused more narrowly and empirically. This book aims to change the status quo and offer a new, redefining and unified theory of psychology.

From a review by Herb Gintis, Santa Fe Institute and Central European University:

“Like sociology and anthropology, psychology is defined by incompatible competing schools of thought and cannot be considered a mature science, because there is no sense in which each generation of researchers builds upon the core analytical insights of previous generations of researchers… This book is written for clinical and research psychologists, and hence avoids the sort of mathematical model building and axiomatization that is characteristic of mature sciences… Henriques notes that it is almost impossible to define contemporary psychology because many psychologists consider psychology to be a theory of the workings of the mind, while others deny the notion of “mind” altogether, and limit themselves to modelling observed behavior. For this reason, Henriques takes his first goal to be that of “locating” the field ontologically. He argues that there is a Tree of Knowledge with four segments. The first is “Matter,” which is studied by physics, chemistry, geology, and astronomy. The second is “Life,” studied by biology. The third is “Mind,” which is the subject matter of psychology, and the fourth, and highest, is “Culture,” studied by the social sciences. “

From a review by Daniel B. Fishman, Professor, Rutgers University

“The field of psychology is known for its paradoxical combination of sweeping scope and impressive micro-theories, on the one hand, and fragmentation and internecine squabbling, on the other. To this state of affairs, any serious effort to provide integration and unity within psychological knowledge and understanding is heartily welcomed. And Henriques’ effort in this regard is not only serious, but one of the most cogent, scholarly, sophisticated, beautifully reasoned, clearly articulated, and accessibly written presentations of a unified theory in psychology that I have seen in my 50 years in the discipline.”

 

Author(s)


Author
Gregg Henriques
Theorist | Scholar | Teacher | Clinician | Developer of Theory of Knowledge
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Description:

Dr Gregg Henriques is Professor of Graduate Psychology at James Madison University in the Combined-Integrated Doctoral Program in Clinical and School Psychology. Dr Henriques received his PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Vermont and did his post-doctoral training at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr Henriques’ primary area of scholarly interest is in developing a “unified framework” for both the science and practice of psychology. He has authored the book, A New Unified Theory of Psychology and developed a popular blog on Psychology Today, Theory of Knowledge, where he has authored over 350 essays on psychology, philosophy, politics, and mental health. He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, has won numerous awards for teaching, scholarship, and service, and launched and leads the Theory of Knowledge academic society. He has expertise in theoretical psychology, unified approaches to psychotherapy, psychological well-being, personality functioning, depression, and suicidal behaviour.   

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