Methodology Record Type: Review   ID: 813
The Crisis in Modern Social Psychology And How to End It Parker, Ian
Parker, who is a Lecturer in Social and Abnormal Psychology at Manchester Polytechnic, presents a postmodern view of social psychology. He takes full advantage of the postmodern position, not only deconstructing the laboratory-based experimental approach but presenting ideas based on avant-garde textual social psychology that could transform the way social psychology is done. He also indicates the pitfalls in these new approaches. His stance is also postmodern in that he calls for a political understanding of social interaction that would have the effect of linking research with change. Without this, social psychology cannot change sufficiently to reach its full stature. Much of what Parker writes also could be applied to other areas of psychology and especially parapsychology. This is a very important book for anyone interested in EHEs. First, research on EHEs is retarded by the tenets of the behavioristic logico-empirical method. The deconstructive work Parker does makes room for the study of EHEs. Many of the postmodern and post-structuralist approaches he presents, on the other hand, would adapt beautifully to the study of EHEs because they deal with data as text and as an aspect of a language game, both of which certainly lend themselves to the study of EHEs. The book is in three parts. The first consists of three chapters on the three crises of social psychology: paradigm, political, and conceptual. The second part describes responses to these crises, and the third part deals with alternative approaches.
Publisher Information:	London, England: Routledge, 1989. 173p. Bibl: 161-168; Index: 169-173

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