Seymour Sarason Remembered: “Plus ça change…”, “Psychology Misdirected”, and “Community Psychology and the Anarchist Insight”

Abstract

The intellectual legacy of Seymour Sarason continues to serve as a critical resource for the field of community psychology. The present paper draws on one of Sarason's favorite aphorisms and two of his seminal writings to suggest the relevance of ideas articulated 35-40 years ago for the current time. Each in their own way highlights the importance of unearthing and interrogating core assumptions underlying our research and our efforts to make a positive difference. The aphorism reminds us that the rhetoric of change is far easier to articulate than to enact and all too often ignores or disguises issues of power among actors. The "misdirection" of Psychology reflected his assertion that the asocial, acultural, and ahistorical nature of American Psychology reflected American culture more generally and ill prepared it to understand and engage in social change, particularly with respect to educational reform. The "anarchist insight" articulated his belief in interrogating the implications of the increasingly interdependent relationship of science and the state for the autonomy of scientists and scientific inquiry. The evidence-based practice movement is offered as an example of the current day relevance of the aphorism and core insights of these two papers. The paper concludes with a plea to rekindle the discussion and continued examination of Sarason's paradigmatic insights for the intellectual and social development of the field.

Ultrasociality and Intersubjectivity

“…Accordingly, these approaches to prevention and health promotion tend to neglect a variety of social, environmental, and other contextual motivating factors (Stokols, ). Reasons for skepticism regarding these programmatic behavioral approaches include both a lack of demonstrated predictive validity (Sniehotta, Presseau, & Araújo‐Soares, ) and conflicts of interest in the determination of “evidence‐based” preventive approaches (e.g., Trickett, ). Yet, a general failure to recognize and engage with intersubjective ultrasocial reality may be their fundamental flaw.…”

What constitutes globalised evidence? Cultural tensions and critical reflections of the evidence‐based movement in New Zealand

“…Today, many evaluators have moved past staunch paradigmatic positions and embrace a broad range of designs to suit various purposes and evaluative questions; and within many contexts RCTs are no longer viewed as the gold standard (Trickett, ). Community psychologists adhere to a perspectival‐contextualist philosophy that explicitly emphasises “the situational and contextual nature of knowledge” (Beehler & Trickett, 2017, p. 458) and perspectives of knowledge grounded in different value positions and political interests.…”

“…As a result of growing international interest in the EBM and the internationalisation of evidence‐based programming, concerns have developed regarding cultural fit (or lack thereof) of such practices (Beehler & Trickett, ). Thus, it is not surprising that culturally diverse groups are sceptical of efforts to introduce EBPs in their communities (Trickett, ). In addition, there is growing evidence that cultural consultation and adaptation is critical to the implementation and efficacy of socially dynamic programs (Brady & Curtin, ).…”

‘Looking for the blue, the yellow, all the colours of the rainbow’: the value of participatory arts for young people in social work practice

“…The need to demonstrate that projects such as Express Yourself are evidence-based is challenging when the narrow forms of evidence advanced within this global movement are acknowledged to stem from positivistic notions that are disconnected from methodologies that are better suited to capture complex, culturally aligned and individualised approaches (Trickett, 2015) found in participatory arts practice. We therefore also require greater advocacy for creative and nuanced evaluation methodologies in the national evidencebased policy making context.…”