Politically engaged Social Psychology: Marxist Perspectives.
Aims
• One of the charges against mainstream social psychology is that it contributes to
maintaining an unfair status quo – this is despite many wanting to understand the
human capacity for destructive acts, but social psych hasn’t created change for the
least powerful in society, so contributes to maintaining the status quo
• Arguably arisen, in part, from the mainstream’s attachment to the individual as locus
of (apolitical) research – attachment to individual makes it apolitical.
• (marx perspective) Psych is an ideology which prevents this recognition of different
forms of oppression operating within psych – location of problems within the
individual rather than society.
• In this session, we will consider whether academic work should be politically
engaged
• We will also explore the ways that Marxist ideas have been taken up in critical social
psychology
Should science be politically engaged?
● What’s the problem with politically engaged science?
• The role of ‘the expert’
• If policy should be informed by the expert or evidence but if this has
too large an influence, risk replacing democracy with technocracy.
(Bijker, Bal and Hendriks, 2009) – control of society is done by an elite
of technical experts.
• Politics should be left out of the lab – neutrality and objectivity.
• Because science as an antidote to dogma and ideology
• Progress knowledge through brute facts rather than beliefs we
have to step out and be neutral and objective to generate
knowledge, that’s not based on belief but fact.
• Hence, neutrality and objectivity is basic requirement
Three questions to ask round this Q.
• Can we separate social psychological knowledge and practices from the political?
– Since psychological research does not exist outside the social and cultural
context where investigations are carried out, research is simultaneously
constituted by, and formative of, the predominant public discourse (Fox,
1985).
– Cannot separate because we are embedded within the social and cultural
context, the research he has done is constituted and formative of public
discourse – what is happening around us
• If we can’t separate.. What kind of politics ‘should’ psychologists advocate?
• What methods are best for advancing more politically engaged research? What
kinds of politics and what methods?
– For psychologists wanting to change the world, positivist rhetoric offers
legitimation, and in rejecting it, critical psychologists are, in effect,
undermining their own position as authorities… on matters of public policy;
, they don’t make credible expert witnesses in court; they become (often quite
literally) unintelligible. [Kitzinger, 1999: 57]
Should social psychs be honest Broker or Advocates? (to understand human capacity for
certain acts).
• Argument taken from journal in 2000, discussing on studies that impact welfare
reform, if researchers accept the official story that success van be evaluated through
the number of formal welfare recipients who are working, the researchers then
adopt a neutral perspective. Just looking at number of former welfare recipients who
went into work, can look at barriers to that goes – what works and what doesn’t.
• Honest broker model – researchers provide scientific data to those in power (govt)
they neglect the role that social psychs can take as political activists and social critics.
– See slides for quote (Steinitz and Mishler, 2001:164).
– Once you are reporting on something, you are using HB model and providing
scientific data, and give up ability to be a social critic or advocate politically.
– Individual neutrality is not political.
“Every science arises out of practical demands and is, ultimately, directed also towards
practical application (Every science can be and is directed towards practical application)
. Marx has said that it was enough for philosophers to have interpreted the world, now
it’s time to change it” – need of the political for change, stems back in social psych.
(Vygotsky, 1926, p. 9-10).
Key things – social, individual, demand and application, and that research needs to do
something, not just say what is happening.
Marxist – psych is an ideology that prevents recognition of different forms of oppression.
Marxist Theory: Key Points
• First, and most generally, Marxism is a theory of history: it’s a theory of how history
unfolds and of the economic forces that shape history
– It is not the consciousness of men [sic] that determines their existence, but
their social existence that determines their consciousness. [Marx, 1859:
Preface] – structural determines the superstructure (consciousness)
• Second, and interlinked, Marxism is a theory of capitalism:
– In capitalism, the basic social relationship is division of society between two
classes (bourgeoise and proletariat), those who have only their own labour
power to sell (P) and those who own the means of production (B)
– Marxism is a theory and practice of class struggle between the 2.
– Emphasis on conflict, competition, struggle.
Base and superstructure
▪ Material forces directly shape every significant aspect of human society, from
culture, to the political system, to the legal and judicial systems, to the educational
system, and so on
▪ That is people must produce the means by which to live/survive
▪ Economic conditions drive social relations
Aims
• One of the charges against mainstream social psychology is that it contributes to
maintaining an unfair status quo – this is despite many wanting to understand the
human capacity for destructive acts, but social psych hasn’t created change for the
least powerful in society, so contributes to maintaining the status quo
• Arguably arisen, in part, from the mainstream’s attachment to the individual as locus
of (apolitical) research – attachment to individual makes it apolitical.
• (marx perspective) Psych is an ideology which prevents this recognition of different
forms of oppression operating within psych – location of problems within the
individual rather than society.
• In this session, we will consider whether academic work should be politically
engaged
• We will also explore the ways that Marxist ideas have been taken up in critical social
psychology
Should science be politically engaged?
● What’s the problem with politically engaged science?
• The role of ‘the expert’
• If policy should be informed by the expert or evidence but if this has
too large an influence, risk replacing democracy with technocracy.
(Bijker, Bal and Hendriks, 2009) – control of society is done by an elite
of technical experts.
• Politics should be left out of the lab – neutrality and objectivity.
• Because science as an antidote to dogma and ideology
• Progress knowledge through brute facts rather than beliefs we
have to step out and be neutral and objective to generate
knowledge, that’s not based on belief but fact.
• Hence, neutrality and objectivity is basic requirement
Three questions to ask round this Q.
• Can we separate social psychological knowledge and practices from the political?
– Since psychological research does not exist outside the social and cultural
context where investigations are carried out, research is simultaneously
constituted by, and formative of, the predominant public discourse (Fox,
1985).
– Cannot separate because we are embedded within the social and cultural
context, the research he has done is constituted and formative of public
discourse – what is happening around us
• If we can’t separate.. What kind of politics ‘should’ psychologists advocate?
• What methods are best for advancing more politically engaged research? What
kinds of politics and what methods?
– For psychologists wanting to change the world, positivist rhetoric offers
legitimation, and in rejecting it, critical psychologists are, in effect,
undermining their own position as authorities… on matters of public policy;
, they don’t make credible expert witnesses in court; they become (often quite
literally) unintelligible. [Kitzinger, 1999: 57]
Should social psychs be honest Broker or Advocates? (to understand human capacity for
certain acts).
• Argument taken from journal in 2000, discussing on studies that impact welfare
reform, if researchers accept the official story that success van be evaluated through
the number of formal welfare recipients who are working, the researchers then
adopt a neutral perspective. Just looking at number of former welfare recipients who
went into work, can look at barriers to that goes – what works and what doesn’t.
• Honest broker model – researchers provide scientific data to those in power (govt)
they neglect the role that social psychs can take as political activists and social critics.
– See slides for quote (Steinitz and Mishler, 2001:164).
– Once you are reporting on something, you are using HB model and providing
scientific data, and give up ability to be a social critic or advocate politically.
– Individual neutrality is not political.
“Every science arises out of practical demands and is, ultimately, directed also towards
practical application (Every science can be and is directed towards practical application)
. Marx has said that it was enough for philosophers to have interpreted the world, now
it’s time to change it” – need of the political for change, stems back in social psych.
(Vygotsky, 1926, p. 9-10).
Key things – social, individual, demand and application, and that research needs to do
something, not just say what is happening.
Marxist – psych is an ideology that prevents recognition of different forms of oppression.
Marxist Theory: Key Points
• First, and most generally, Marxism is a theory of history: it’s a theory of how history
unfolds and of the economic forces that shape history
– It is not the consciousness of men [sic] that determines their existence, but
their social existence that determines their consciousness. [Marx, 1859:
Preface] – structural determines the superstructure (consciousness)
• Second, and interlinked, Marxism is a theory of capitalism:
– In capitalism, the basic social relationship is division of society between two
classes (bourgeoise and proletariat), those who have only their own labour
power to sell (P) and those who own the means of production (B)
– Marxism is a theory and practice of class struggle between the 2.
– Emphasis on conflict, competition, struggle.
Base and superstructure
▪ Material forces directly shape every significant aspect of human society, from
culture, to the political system, to the legal and judicial systems, to the educational
system, and so on
▪ That is people must produce the means by which to live/survive
▪ Economic conditions drive social relations
