Cover; Half Title; Title Page; Copyright Page; Dedication; Table of Contents; Acknowledgements; Introduction; Glossary; 1. The utility of critical realism; Introduction; Short reflective statement; Guidelines about basic critical realism; 1) The 'holy trinity' of critical realism; 2) The transitive and intransitive dimensions to reality; 3) The Empirical, The Actual and The Real; 4) Ontology and emergence; closed and open systems; 5) Generative mechanisms; 6) Scientific inference: 'DREIC' and 'RRREIC'; 7) Natural and social science; 8) Epistemic and ontic fallacies; Conclusion 2. The limits of naïve realismIntroduction; The amalgam of empiricism and positivism in orthodox psychology; Empiricism is a flawed guide to science; Naïve realism: not only empiricism but also positivism; Human systems are open systems: inference about fluxing complexity; Epistemic humility and the ubiquity of values in science; Points of agreement between realists; Naïve realism in psychology: concludinNaïve realism in psychology: concluding discussion g discussion; 3. The limits of postmodernism; Postmodernism as a version of idealism; Starting with Nietzsche; The limits of idealism Is postmodernism inherently politically radical?Postmodernism and psychology; Responses to postmodern psychology; Gaps and commonalities; 4. Do we exist as individuals?; Introduction; Differential psychology; Ordered and disordered personalities; Transitive and intransitive questions about personality disorder; Psychiatric positivism and personality disorder: a summary; The important work of Jerome Kagan, Margaret Archer and Christian Smith; Conclusion; 5. Does the brain cause behaviour?; Introduction; The current legitimacy of neuroscience; A non-reductionist account from critical realism Sceptical commentatorsSummarising the case for a non-reductionist neuroscience; Conclusion; 6. Does life flow on within you and without you?; Introduction; Behaviourism and putting inner reality off limits; Naïve realism and inner life; The hardy perennial of deep and complex subjectivity; Conclusion; 7. Is child sexual abuse a moral panic?; Introduction; An immanent critique of CSA as a moral panic; An explanatory critique of CSA as a moral panic; An omissive critique of CSA as a moral panic; Discussion; Conclusion; 8. How do we know if a person has been tortured? Torture: a summary of the topicThe prerequisite of dehumanisation; The psychological assessment of individual reports of torture; Discussion; Conclusion; 9. Why do we protest (sometimes)?; Introduction; Relevant concepts from critical realism; Evolutionary origins; Critical reflexivity about the evolutionary roots of protest; The biopsychosocial complexity of protest and acquiescence; Insights from the Frankfurt School about negativity in politics; Structured and contingent power differentials; And then came identity politics ... ; Emancipation and axiology

This is the first dedicated text to explain and explore the utility of critical realism for psychologists, offering it as a helpful middle ground between positivism and postmodernism. By introducing its basic concepts, Pilgrim explains critical realism to psychologists and shows how the interface between the natural and social worlds, and the internal and external, can be used to examine human life. This both/and aspect of human life is important in another sense: we are both determined and determining beings, making choices but within the material constraints of both our bodies and the social context of our unique existence. The book offers an exploration of academic and applied psychology with that inward and outward curiosity in mind, beginning with the premise that both inner and outer reality are the legitimate interest of psychologists. In doing so, it shows how critical realism endorses the remaining advantages of positivism and postmodernism, while discarding their philosophical errors. A range of case studies are presented to show how psychologists can use critical realism when working with real life problems, as researchers or practitioners

In English