Notwithstanding the mythical demise of "introspection," self-observation has always been an integral aspect of the social sciences. In the century following the "behavioral revolution," psychology has seen a reduction not so much in the frequency as in the rigor with which self-observation is practiced. A great deal of self-observation has been renamed or obscured (as, for example, "self-report"), but this has served only to defer and impoverish important theoretical and technical work.
This volume, which contributes to the development of a rigorous theory of self-observation, is organized around three general objectives: to re-animate a discourse on self-observation through a historical analysis of various self-observation traditions; to outline and begin to address some of the unique theoretical challenges of self-observation; and to elaborate some of the technical and practical details necessary for realizing a program of research dedicated to self-observation.
In the first section of the book, three historians of psychology trace the evolution of self-observation. In the second, three scholars who are currently working in contemporary traditions of self-observation discuss the basic theoretical and practical challenges involved in conducting self-observation research. In the final two sections of the book, scholars from the phenomenological and narrative traditions trace the history, theory, and practice of self-observation in their respective traditions. Self-Observation in the Social Sciences continues the fine tradition set by Transaction's History and Theory of Psychology series edited by Jaan Valsiner. It is of interest to psychologists and to those who study methodology within the social sciences.
Table of Contents:
I: Introduction; 1: Developing an Adequate Theory of Self-Observation; II: The History of Scientific Self-Observation; 2: The History of Introspection Revisited; 3: A Brief History of Self-Report in American Psychology; 4: Introspection and the Myth of Methodological Behaviorism; III: Contemporary Self-Observation; 5: Language in Self-Observation; 6: Confronting the Challenges of Observing Inner Experience; 7: Multimodal Introspection Theory; IV: Self-Observation in the Phenomenological Traditions; 8: A Conceptual History of Self-Observation in the Phenomenological Tradition; 9: A Phenomenologically Informed Theory of Self-Observation; 10: The Practice of Self-Observation in the Phenomenological Traditions; V: Self-Observation in the Narrative Traditions; 11: A Practice of Self-Observation in Narrative Psychology; 12: Self-Observation Theory in the Narrative Tradition; 13: Self-Observation in Ethnographic Writing; VI: Conclusions; 14: The Inferential Context of Self-Observation
About the Author :
Joshua W. Clegg is assistant professor of psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York. His empirical research focuses on social alienation and the social psychology of environmental sustainability; his theoretical and historical work focuses on research methodology and philosophy of science. He is the editor of The Observation of Human Systems.
Review :
-[T]he volume demonstrates strong historical grounding and a firm grasp of the methodological arguments researchers will raise against self-observation. The contributors do a fine job of outlining those arguments and providing counterarguments showing how self-observation research can be done in such a way as to alleviate those concerns. This book provides an important foundation for those whose work demands self-observation (e.g., clinicians, therapists, and the like) and for those who want to strike a balance between what others might call the subjective and the objective. The collection could also serve as an interesting text for a course dedicated to developing strong methodological skills in this important area. Summing Up: Highly recommended.-
--R. E. Osborne, Choice
-Self-Observation in the Social Sciences brings together papers offering solutions to basic questions in psychology and social interaction, making this a pick for any college-level collection strong in either discipline. History, theory, and the roots of techniques of self-observation and applied psychology provide an analysis of the dichotomy between objective and subjective techniques, exploring the foundations of psychological thought and its applications. The result is a scholarly reference which any college-level student of psychology and applied social science concepts will find involving.-
--The Bookwatch
-Joshua Clegg's edited volume brings renewed attention and constructive solutions to foundational questions that should preoccupy the field of psychology, but have actually been consistently avoided. With both historical and theoretical sophistication, authors revisit the origins of self-observation, challenge the received view of its demise, and provocatively suggest that all observation in psychology is essentially self-observation. With careful and compelling reasoning, Clegg and his colleagues convince us that the vigilantly maintained dichotomy between objective and subjective is not only artificial, but harmful. Self-Observation in the Social Sciences is a highly recommended read, not only for those already convinced of the need for a new theoretical, epistemological, and methodological base for psychology, but for those who survey the current research landscape and wonder: Is this all that psychology can be?-
--Alexandra Rutherford, associate professor, department of psychology, York University, Toronto
"[T]he volume demonstrates strong historical grounding and a firm grasp of the methodological arguments researchers will raise against self-observation. The contributors do a fine job of outlining those arguments and providing counterarguments showing how self-observation research can be done in such a way as to alleviate those concerns. This book provides an important foundation for those whose work demands self-observation (e.g., clinicians, therapists, and the like) and for those who want to strike a balance between what others might call the subjective and the objective. The collection could also serve as an interesting text for a course dedicated to developing strong methodological skills in this important area. Summing Up: Highly recommended."
--R. E. Osborne, Choice
"Self-Observation in the Social Sciences brings together papers offering solutions to basic questions in psychology and social interaction, making this a pick for any college-level collection strong in either discipline. History, theory, and the roots of techniques of self-observation and applied psychology provide an analysis of the dichotomy between objective and subjective techniques, exploring the foundations of psychological thought and its applications. The result is a scholarly reference which any college-level student of psychology and applied social science concepts will find involving."
--The Bookwatch
"Joshua Clegg's edited volume brings renewed attention and constructive solutions to foundational questions that should preoccupy the field of psychology, but have actually been consistently avoided. With both historical and theoretical sophistication, authors revisit the origins of self-observation, challenge the received view of its demise, and provocatively suggest that all observation in psychology is essentially self-observation. With careful and compelling reasoning, Clegg and his colleagues convince us that the vigilantly maintained dichotomy between objective and subjective is not only artificial, but harmful. Self-Observation in the Social Sciences is a highly recommended read, not only for those already convinced of the need for a new theoretical, epistemological, and methodological base for psychology, but for those who survey the current research landscape and wonder: Is this all that psychology can be?"
--Alexandra Rutherford, associate professor, department of psychology, York University, Toronto
"[T]he volume demonstrates strong historical grounding and a firm grasp of the methodological arguments researchers will raise against self-observation. The contributors do a fine job of outlining those arguments and providing counterarguments showing how self-observation research can be done in such a way as to alleviate those concerns. This book provides an important foundation for those whose work demands self-observation (e.g., clinicians, therapists, and the like) and for those who want to strike a balance between what others might call the subjective and the objective. The collection could also serve as an interesting text for a course dedicated to developing strong methodological skills in this important area. Summing Up: Highly recommended."
--R. E. Osborne, Choice
"Self-Observation in the Social Sciences brings together papers offering solutions to basic questions in psychology and social interaction, making this a pick for any college-level collection strong in either discipline. History, theory, and the roots of techniques of self-observation and applied psychology provide an analysis of the dichotomy between objective and subjective techniques, exploring the foundations of psychological thought and its applications. The result is a scholarly reference which any college-level student of psychology and applied social science concepts will find involving."
--The Bookwatch
"Joshua Clegg's edited volume brings renewed attention and constructive solutions to foundational questions that should preoccupy the field of psychology, but have actually been consistently avoided. With both historical and theoretical sophistication, authors revisit the origins of self-observation, challenge the received view of its demise, and provocatively suggest that all observation in psychology is essentially self-observation. With careful and compelling reasoning, Clegg and his colleagues convince us that the vigilantly maintained dichotomy between objective and subjective is not only artificial, but harmful. Self-Observation in the Social Sciences is a highly recommended read, not only for those already convinced of the need for a new theoretical, epistemological, and methodological base for psychology, but for those who survey the current research landscape and wonder: Is this all that psychology can be?"
--Alexandra Rutherford, associate professor, department of psychology, York University, Toronto
"[T]he volume demonstrates strong historical grounding and a firm grasp of the methodological arguments researchers will raise against self-observation. The contributors do a fine job of outlining those arguments and providing counterarguments showing how self-observation research can be done in such a way as to alleviate those concerns. This book provides an important foundation for those whose work demands self-observation (e.g., clinicians, therapists, and the like) and for those who want to strike a balance between what others might call the subjective and the objective. The collection could also serve as an interesting text for a course dedicated to developing strong methodological skills in this important area. Summing Up: Highly recommended."
--R. E. Osborne, "Choice" "Joshua Clegg's edited volume brings renewed attention and constructive solutions to foundational questions that should preoccupy the field of psychology, but have actually been consistently avoided. With both historical and theoretical sophistication, authors revisit the origins of self-observation, challenge the received view of its demise, and provocatively suggest that all observation in psychology is essentially self-observation. With careful and compelling reasoning, Clegg and his colleagues convince us that the vigilantly maintained dichotomy between objective and subjective is not only artificial, but harmful. "Self-Observation in the Social Sciences "is a highly recommended read, not only for those already convinced of the need for a new theoretical, epistemological, and methodological base for psychology, but for those who survey the current research landscape and wonder: Is this all that psychology can be?" --Alexandra Rutherford, associate professor, department of psychology, York University, Toronto
