Abstract

This dissertation explores theoretical, methodological and ethical questions involved in the study of human action, especially as they relate to the disciplines of psychology, psychiatry and psychotherapy. It develops the idea that a philosophical tradition variously termed interpretative, hermeneutic, or dialogical is the source for a new meta-theory for psychology and other human sciences. The author considers how mainstream human sciences have not addressed a basic hermeneutic insight: the symbolic framework of a culture or epoch includes implicit premises or conceptions through which human action is intelligible and things first become objects of scientific study. Correspondingly, it is through critical dialogue with different symbolic frameworks that we are able to have a partial insight into the implicit premises that pre-shape our own reality. ;Drawing on the Russian scholar, Mikhail Bakhtin, the author illustrates how a "dialogical" view as opposed to "monological" view is a more adequate framework for understanding human action. The dialogical and monological views in the human sciences are contrasted in the way each addresses the question of implicit conceptual schemes. The author illustrates how the structure of the monological view makes it difficult for the implications of this insight to be taken into account. In turn, this leads to objectifying categories of explanation that pose questions for the ethical status of the human sciences. Using the dialogical/monological distinction as a schematic, the author poses questions about research methodology, conceptions of self that underpin our theories, and popular models of personality, psychopathology and psychotherapy. ;The human sciences are conceptualized as forms of critical dialogue between different symbolic orders. It is argued that these disciplines are more similar to cultural studies than they are to the biological, physical or mainstream social sciences. "Discourse" or "utterance" is presented as the object of study common to human science disciplines. Similarly, the study of human action is portrayed as a conversation between interpreters and subjects. ;A qualitative research study is used to dramatize these questions related to the study of human action. The study draws on transcriptions of videotaped psychotherapy conversations, interviews with therapists, and clinical records