Social Psychological Theory as History: Outlining the Critical-Historical Approach to Theory

Abstract

The mainstream epistemology of social psychology is markedly ahistorical, prioritizing the quantification of processes assumed to be lawful and generalizable. Social psychologists often consider theory to be either a practical tool for summarizing what is known about a problem area and making predictions or a torch that illuminates the counterintuitive causal force underlying a variety of disparate phenomena. I propose a third vision of critical-historical theory. From this perspective, theories should be committed to deep interdisciplinarity and historical validity claims—understanding individual and group experiences as part of historically contingent forces. Theories also should be critical, containing an awareness of the researcher as implicated in the social process and committed to actively improving society. To demonstrate its viability, I review classic works from the history of the discipline that exemplify critical-historical theory and offer concrete implications for theorists interested in employing this approach in their own work.

“Even the NGOs Never Talk About Ufiti [Witchcraft]”: a Decolonial and Feminist Cultural Psychological Analysis of Individualized Development Clashing with Communal Ways of Being

“…Nevertheless, our argument also goes further than that. Where developmental approaches and psychology needs to be mindful of different intentional worlds particularly in intercultural collaborations, there is also a need within the broader spectra of psychology to a much larger extent to acknowledge both current and historical contexts (see for example Sullivan, 2020). By applying a denaturalization-strategy (see Adams et al, 2015), unburdened individualism dismantles as manifestations of Western coloniality, and as an inversion of communal norms and morals of reciprocity that may be dangerous for individuals and groups.…”

The influence of mortality reminders on cultural in‐group versus out‐group takeaway food safety perceptions during the COVID‐19 pandemic

“…On the topic of the pandemic, psychologists have long noted the importance of considering historical-contextual factors in social psychological phenomenon, research, processes, study designs, and findings (e.g., Gergen, 1973;Sullivan, 2020). This is particularly critical given the present research was conducted during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic (at least in the U.S.'s timeline).…”

Time-Space Distanciation as a Decolonizing Framework for Psychology

“…727–728). 1 The problem with this kind of reductive approach to time and space is not merely that it obscures the historic-geographical realities that have been determinant in the lives of all humans since modern social science came into being—although that is certainly a significant problem (see Sullivan, 2020). The problem of equal or greater relevance for a decolonial perspective is that this mainstream view cannot acknowledge the ways in which space (Harvey, 2019; Lefebvre, 1992) and time (Elias, 1992; Postone, 1993) have been actively produced through social processes, most notably those of capitalism, colonialism, science, and globalization.…”

“…These rhetorical and political tactics often obscure the fact that the spatiotemporal structuring of everyday activities in affluent settings is interlocked with that of marginalized settings as result of historical processes. Understanding this allows for de-reification of spatiotemporal orientations by emphasizing their material and historical grounding (Sullivan, 2020). Theories of time and space serve decolonial aims when they illuminate how processes that appear universal (the “ecological” laws and situational determinants of behavior) have in fact arisen as a function of the colonial-capitalist production of time and space.…”

“…As such, an equally important suggestion is for mainstream psychologists to engage in critical reflection on the historical and structural processes that have shaped the very samples they study. We refer readers to the work of Else-Quest and Hyde (2016a, 2016b) and Sullivan (2020) for further reading on incorporating critical engagement with historical and structural developments into psychological research.…”