Edited by
Jonathan D. Raskin and Sara K. Bridges

Constructivist theories of psychology examine the ways in which people create meaningful understandings of the world and use these understandings to guide themselves through life. With their emphasis on the psychological process of human meaning making, constructivist approaches are garnering a great deal of attention within psychology. This volume marks an effort by prominent constructivist scholars both to overview varieties of constructivism and to examine the implications of constructivism for psychological research, theory, and practice. Among the constructivist approaches compared, contrasted, and integrated throughout the book’s fifteen chapters are personal construct psychology, radical constructivism, and social constructionism. Specific topics include sexual abuse, abnormal behavior, psychotherapy, human science research, and applied psychology. The contributions contained herein highlight current thinking and new directions on the burgeoning constructivist landscape.

Table of Contents

PART I: CONSTRUCTIVIST THEORY AND PRACTICE

1. Constructivism in Psychology: Personal Construct Psychology, Radical Constructivism, and Social Constructionism
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jonathan D. Raskin

2. Constructions of Abuse: Understanding the Effects of Childhood Sexual Abuse
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Christopher R. Erbes and Stephanie Lewis Harter

3. Nonvalidation vs. (In)validation: Implications for theory and practice
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Beverly M. Walker

4. Narrative Solutions: Toward Understanding the Art of Helpful Conversation
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joseph Eron and Thomas Lund

PART II: CONSTRUCTIVIST CONCEPTUALIZATIONS OF DISORDER

5. Disorder, Diagnoses, and the Struggles of Humanness
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Larry M. Leitner and April J. Faidley

6. Abnormality: Does It Define Us or Do We Define It?
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Caroline M. Stanley and Jonathan D. Raskin

7. The Social Construction of Disorder: From Pathology to Potential
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sheila McNamee

8. “Diagnosing” Behavior: Cui Bono?
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Thomas Szasz

PART III: EXPLORATIONS IN CONSTRUCTIVIST RESEARCH

9. Owning Research: The Appropriation of Psychological Data
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mark W. Schlutsmeyer and Nancy E. Pike

10. Putting the Heart Back Into Constructivist Research
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Marla J. Arvay

11. Towards New Methodologies For Constructivist Research: Synthesizing Knowledges For Relational Inquiries
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Marie Hoskins

PART IV: NEW DIRECTIONS IN CONSTRUCTIVIST PSYCHOLOGY

12. How Firm a Foundation? A Constructivist Response to Mahrer’s Archeology of Beliefs about Psychotherapy
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Robert A. Neimeyer

13. The Notion of “Applied Psychology” from a Personal Construct Psychology Perspective
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . William George (Bill) Warren

14. Responsive Understandings in Living Encounters: Re-Figuring Intellectual Inquiry
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . John Shotter

15. Now What? The Personal and Professional in Constructivist Thought
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sara K. Bridges

Appendix A: Constructivist Psychology on the Internet
Appendix B: About the North American Personal Construct Network
Index of proper names
Subject index