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(1987) Annals of theoretical psychology, Dordrecht, Springer.
It is suggested that all sciences pass through periods of demarcation difficulties, wherein science and superstition, fact and fiction, testable theory and arbitrary speculation confront each other. This ordeal by quackery finally resulted in the divorce of astronomy from astrology, of chemistry from alchemy, and of physics from metaphysics. Psychology is still in a stage during which such a demarcation is difficult to make and experimental psychology, psychometrics, behavioral genetics, learning theory, and other attempts to make psychology into a true science are confronted by pseudosciences like psychoanalysis, hermeneutics, existentialism, and other similar movements that are essentially hostile to the scientific study of human behavior. Even within the scientific group there are fissiparous tendencies preventing the achievement of a unified science; these are discussed in some detail, and suggestions are made as to how they could be overcome. It is concluded that a unified, paradigmatic science of psychology is possible only by the exclusion of nonscientific groups, beliefs and concepts and by greater tolerance within the scientific group of different approaches.
Publication details
DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4615-6456-0_4
Full citation:
Eysenck, H. J. (1987)., The growth of a unified scientific psychology, in A. W. Staats & L. Mos (eds.), Annals of theoretical psychology, Dordrecht, Springer, pp. 91-113.
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