DOI
10.1037/h0091498
Abstract
William James, one of the major founders of modern scientific psychology, spoke often about "the psychologist's fallacy." This fallacy resulted (and still results) from the tendency of psychologists to confuse their analyses of subjective experience with the nature of so-called objective reality. A related, though less attended problem revolved (and revolves) around what I shall call "the psychologist's dilemma." Although this latter problem was shared by other psychologists at the turn of this century, I will discuss it with special reference to the thought and work of William James. I have chosen to do so partially because James's own psychological and philosophical works reflect the import and centrality of this dilemma in the history of the human sciences, and partially in recognition and honor of the one hundredth anniversary of James's two-volume masterpiece, The Principles of Psychology, which will be celebrated in 1990. As I hope will be clear, this dilemma continues to be relevant to the concerns of contemporary psychologists.
Document Type
Restricted Article: Campus only access
Publication Date
1990
Publisher Statement
Recommended Citation
Leary, D. E. (1990). The psychologist’s dilemma: To subject the self to science—or science to the self? Theoretical & Philosophical Psychology, 10(2), 66–72. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0091498