Academy for Theoretical Psychology and Psychological Philosophy

Theoretical psychology is a fascinating field that delves into the philosophical and theoretical aspects of psychology. Let’s explore its significance:

  • Interdisciplinary Exploration: Theoretical psychology bridges the gap between philosophy and psychology. It draws from the philosophy of science, emphasizing logic, rationality, and conceptual depth.
  • Historical Roots: Theoretical psychology predates empirical psychology. Pioneers like Wilhelm Wundt, William James, William Stern, and John B. Watson laid its foundation. Today, notable contributors continue to shape this field, including Klaus Oberauer, Klaus Fiedler, Robert Sternberg, and Brent Slife.
  • Epistemological Grounding: Theoretical psychology doesn’t aim to declare one theory as more “truthful” than another. Instead, it provides a scientifically grounded exploration of ideas based on epistemology. Its rich historical context allows for a deeper understanding of psychological concepts and theories.

In summary, theoretical psychology enriches our understanding of human behavior, thought, and development by exploring the underlying theories that shape our understanding of the human experience.

The AG P&P’s International Academy for Theoretical Psychology and Psychological Philosophy aims at providing an engaging and interactive format for talented students from any background.

At its core, the academy consists of biweekly online classes which are dedicated to open discussion. Every other Monday, we will meet at 6 pm Vienna time (5 pm UTC) in a ZOOM videocall to engage with problems from philosophy and psychology.

Philosophers and psychologists from different backgrounds will begin each class with a short introduction and afterwards organise the discussion. The program can be found below.

If you feel like attending the course and want to register – entirely voluntarly and free of charge – please contact academy@phi-psy.de. You will then receive further details in the future.

We are looking forward to your participation!

DateProblemTextMentor
November 4thHistorical Perspectives on Manualization in Clinical PsychologyDSM and the Death of Phenomenology in America: An Example of Unintended Consequences (Nancy C. Andreasen, 2006)Hannes Wendler
November 18thDevelopmental Psychology and the Century of the ChildTBA; 1. William Stern; 2. Karl BühlerPhilip Seitzer
December 2ndHistorical Materialism and the collective psyche1. The Philosophy of Money (Simmel, 1900); Like leaves in the wind: does democracy have it´s own atmosphere? (Griffero, 2020); 3. The Phenomenology of Affectivity (Fuchs, 2013)Johannes Hofmann
December 16thAffordances in Ecological PsychologyThe Ecological Approach to Visual Perception, Ch. 8, “The Theory of Affordances.” (James Gibson, 1986)Daniel Dwyer
January 13thThe Unconscious as a Psychological ConceptA Note on the Unconscious in Psycho-Analysis (Sigmund Freud, 1912)Thomas Dojan
January 27thConcept, Content, Context, and CognitionContent, Conceptual Content, and Nonconceptual Content (Adrian Cussins, 1990)Jerry Huang
February 10thParadigm Shifts and PsychologyThe Mythical Revolutions of American Psychology (Thomas H. Leahey, 1992)Malte Schlenker
February 24thCollective IntentionalityCollective intentionality vs. Intersubjective and social intentionality. An account of collective intentionality as shared intentionality (Vecchi, 2011)Lukas Pieroth
March 10thPsychological ExplanationExplanation and Cognition, Ch. 5, "How Does It Work?" versus "What Are the Laws?": Two Conceptions of Psychological Explanation (Robert Cummins, 2000)
Danaja Rutar
March 24thEmotional CognitivismCognitivism in the Theory of Emotions (John Deigh, 1994)Raphael Röchter

Schedules of previous semesters:

DateProblemTextMentor
March 4thScientism vs. FoundationalismJohn Erpenbeck (1991): Philosophical Problems of Modern PsychologyAlexander Wendt
March 18thCritique of Psychological HumanitiesThomas Teo (2017): From psychological science to the psychological humanitiesHannes Wendler
April 1stScientific modelling and representingTarja Knuuttila (2011): Modelling and representing: An artefactual approach to model-based representationDaniel Niesyt
April 15thThe vagueness of psychological conceptsFabian Hutmacher & David Franz (2024): Approaching psychology’s current crises by exploring the vagueness of psychological conceptsFabian Hutmacher
April 29thTranscendental foundation of psychologyFrederick Wertz (2016). Outline of the relationship among transcendental phenomenology, phenomenological psychology, and the sciences of persons.Julian Meergans
May 13rdConceptual critique of the neurosciencesWittgenstein's philosophy of psychology as a critical instrument for the psychological sciencesLucas Janz
May 27thParadigm Shifts and PsychologyThe Role and Use of Conceptual Analysis in Psychology (Timothy Racine and Kathleen Slaney ed., Palgrave, 2013)Malte Schlenker
June 10thChoosing Simulation over Prediction and Explanation in PsychologyTal Yarkoni & Jacob Westfall (2017): Choosing prediction over explanation in psychology: Lessons from machine learningStefan Radev
June 24thPhilosophy of Science and Test Vallidity TheoryKeith Markus & Denny Borsboom (2013): Frontiers of Test Validity Theory: Measurement, Causation, and Meaning (Section 1.2)Josh Ramminger
July 8thThe theory crisis in psychology - problems, causes and solutionsDenny Borsboom et al. (2021): Theory construction methodology: A practical framework for building theories in psychologyRuben Ellinghaus
July 22ndPhenomenological PsychologyAmedeo Giorgi (1983): Concerning the Possibility of Phenomenological Psychological Research Timo Munz
August 5thThe difference between signal and meaning as a criterion for the basis of consciousness in animals and humansThe difference between signal and meaning as a criterion for the basis of consciousness in animals and humansOliver Schulz
August 19thAnomalous Monism and the (im)possibility of any scientific psychologyDonald Davidson (1995): Mental Events.Lukas Nehlsen