The identity of psychology: A qualitative exploration and a descriptive account of the crisis and unification literature

摘要

This thesis is divided into two sections. The first section features a qualitative analysis of the contemporary phenomenology of the identity of psychology. For this analysis, focus groups were conducted with faculty members, graduate students, and honours students from a large psychology department. The participants in each group were asked seven key questions, including a question about their own personal perceptions and experiences of the identity of psychology. The results are presented thematically and then discussed. The second section features a detailed descriptive account of the crisis and unification of psychology literature. The account covers three time periods: 1892-1930, 1931-1969, and 1970-2005. Within each time period, the writings of the major figures from that period are presented first, followed by the rest of the literature, which is presented thematically. In the general discussion, the findings from these two sections are discussed, along with suggestions for future research.