Taking a Theoretical Turn

Abstract

Abstract The goal of this chapter is to raise and explore varied issues regarding theory and psychology, and to consider what it means to say that psychology is a fundamentally theoretical enterprise. It begins by discussing why theorizing is necessary for understanding and investigating human functioning. The chapter then turns to considering psychology’s stance toward theorizing, including why conventional psychology practices end up rendering the field rather atheoretical. It is argued that much theorizing in psychology is subordinate to method. The chapter next considers how more elaborate theorizing includes analyzing psychology itself, as well as articulating theoretical approaches to human functioning. The chapter ends with a consideration of relativism and suggests criteria for evaluating theorizing.

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