Discursive psychology

Conversation Analysis (CA) is a concept that emerged between 1964 and 1975 due to research undertaken, and lectures produced, by Harvey Sacks. Despite Sacks’ early death, before he managed to publish his works professionally, we are still aware of his discovery of CA through other sociologists and linguists. An example of this can be seen where Hutchby and Wooffitt (2008) discuss how ‘Sacks originated a radical research programme which was designed to investigate the levels of social order which could be revealed in the everyday practice of talking’ (p15). Other professionals in the field have offered explanations of what CA is and what it involves, for example, Paul ten Have (1999) states that ‘CA can be used in wider and more restricted senses. As a broad term, it can denote any study of people talking together’ (p5). Interestingly, nine years before Sacks began researching and lecturing the prospect of CA, an extremely well regarded linguist ruled out the ideology of anything along the lines of CA. Chomsky (1965) claimed that ‘A record of natural speech will show numerous false starts, deviations from rules, changes of plan in mid-course, and so on…Observed use of language or hypothesized dispositions to respond, habits, and so on, may provide evidence as to the nature of this mental reality, but surely cannot constitute the actual subject matter of linguistics, if it is to be a serious discipline’ (p2). This statement contradicts the research undertaken by Sacks deeming…

Milgram’s (1974) empirical study of obedience is of paramount influence within experimental social psychology. Milgram (1974) was notorious for his fascination with the perils of group behaviour and blind obedience to authority, and aspired to facilitate understanding surrounding human ability to act inhumanely, without boundaries or any apparent conscience, with specific interest surrounding the horrendous acts committed during the Holocaust (Mastrioanni, 2002). Milgram’s (1974) experiment is…

The present article aims to fill a gap resulted by narrow literature found on the topic of management and repair of shame and how social factors may influence that process. The background of the research lies on the phenomena, that shame is rather conceptualised in other researches as an element of individual psychopathology, perceived as shame-predisposition or internalized shame. This article intends to pay attention to shame and its management from the perspective social psychology as…

Mainstream psychology is often considered to be factual and objective however it is argued by critical psychologists that research is often influenced by its social, cultural, historical and political context. Critical psychologists have disputed the notion of objective psychology and have identified different levels at which values can be seen to operate within mainstream psychology. In this essay I will critically discuss the extent to which mainstream research has benefited more powerful…

kinds, physical, psychological, emotional and political. It can be estrangement, self- alienation and social ostracism, an exclusion from familiar environments of family, kinship and culture. It can come through political upheaval, mass migration or natural disaster. It can be individual or collective. But no dislocation is ever absolute, terminal or enduring in itself. In it there is always a kind of holding back, a sort of nostalgia, and the perception of difference. There is always a looking…

A space and time free from an repressive power. A context that would allow the exploration of the self and the other. A therapeutic environment in psychology is an environment where Reduce or eliminate environmental stressors, which would translate in a context where there is no intellectual or physical dominance and oppression. Provide positive distractions Ethics or the care of the self, according to Foucault, are second is the list to a fruitful power relation. It is what will permit the…

used to create this article is questionable, Kpavouvou was able to capture a heartbreaking and triumphant story that resonates with recent medical anthropology theoretical perspectives and mental health research. Many medical anthropologists have attempted to capture the perspectives and attitudes of Africans in regards to their experiences with their psychosis and treatment as well as the quality of care they receive (Nwoye 2015, Cooper 2015, Mizuno et al 2015, and Napo et al 2012). Through…

The human imagination has been a concept or characteristic which has invoked various speculations, theories, ideologies and philosophies throughout history. It would seem to be the one main characteristic which separates humans –homo-sapiens, from all other species in the world. ‘Imagination', seems to be the source and foundation of human evolution, and the founder of humans as the master species. Technically speaking ‘imagination' is in general, the power or process of producing mental…

Developed by psychologists Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers, humanistic psychology emphasizes human potential and takes a more positive view of the human nature. During the mid-1900s, an individual with an anger disorder would attend therapy sessions with a psychoanalyst. Instead of asking questions about the patient’s past, the psychoanalyst would approach the client with positive energy and humanistic therapy techniques. Humanistic therapists would invoke conversations about the client’s…

new questions have continued to be asked. A few examples being: How can food be more efficiently produced to prevent starvation? How could a shelter be built stronger so that they can withstand long winters? What is the shape of the earth? What are our bodies made out of? However, it was not till recent history that the study the brain and psychological concepts has become a large part of modern science. Many great people that contributed to the advancement of psychological practice. Of those,…