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A postmodern approach to psychology in the context of organization development: towards a generative theory

Robots, Neurodevelopmental Disorders, and Psychology: a Bibliometric Analysis and a Case Made for Robopsychology

Research work on robots in the context of neurodevelopmental disorders and psychology has traditionally been developed by researchers with a background primarily in engineering and computer science. As psychology is getting ready to play a more prominent role, there is a chance to apply specific psychological theory and methods. Such application may be facilitated by the establishment of a relevant scientific infrastructure, such as through a specialist journal on robopsychology.

Strength Back

Artikel Frontiers in Psychology Strength Back - Strength Back - A qualitative study on the co-creation of a positive psychology for spinal surgery patients

Using a Gaussian Graphical Model to Explore Relationships Between Items and Variables in Environmental Psychology Research

Exploratory analyses are an important first step in psychological research, particularly in problem-based research where various variables are often included from multiple theoretical perspectives not studied together in combination before. Notably, exploratory analyses aim to give first insights into how items and variables included in a study relate to each other. Typically, exploratory analyses involve computing bivariate correlations between items and variables and presenting them in a table. While this is suitable for relatively small data sets, such tables can easily become overwhelming when datasets contain a broad set of variables from multiple theories. We propose the Gaussian graphical model as a novel exploratory analyses tool and present a systematic roadmap to apply this model to explore relationships between items and variables in environmental psychology research. We demonstrate the use and value of the Gaussian graphical model to study relationships between a broad set of items and variables that are expected to explain the effectiveness of community energy initiatives in promoting sustainable energy behaviors.

Organization theory and philosophy

The topic of this paper is the constructivism-realism debate, construed as an example of the intrusion of philosophy into science. Against this intrusion I maintain that philosophical problems are not only different from scientific and practical ones. They are also problematic in themselves. That is why their import into our scientific and practical work only creates confusions that hinder us in our work. The aim of the paper is to show that the philosophical problems that create those confusions need a Wittgensteinian therapeutic treatment. The method of the paper consists in comparing what philosophers (or philosophising scientists) say we do with what we actually do. After giving an example of what happens when a rightly respected scientist starts philosophizing, the method is applied, first, to the relation between language and the world and, second, to the relation between theories and the world. In the first application a story about three umpires is used to distinguish language and discourse, between questions of meaning (of the words we use) and questions of truth (of the things we say). In the second application a comparison between maps and theories is used to show the difference between assessing the truth of descriptive statements and explanatory theories. The examples of the umpires and maps are introduced by Weick and in both cases I show that neither constructivist nor metaphysical realist conclusions follow.

Applied psychology (Part 3) Shame Guilt and Sin

In this series on psychological foundations from an applied psychological perspective, we focus this time on shame, guilt and sin. Shame, guilt and sin share that all three are strong motivators for behavioural change. However, we can respond to them in very different ways. In this article it is argued that original sin is a variant of guilt and misfortune, that seems unfair: how can a new born child be blamed for being born in an unbalanced world? Denial is a common reaction to original sin, while this form of guilt plays a major role in our technological ostrich policy.