- This book explores the theoretical commitments and cultural values that have deterred the field of psychology from facing squarely and dealing credibly, as best they can, with inescapable human limitations and frailties, unavoidable suffering, pain, loss, heartbreak, and despair. - Takes an interdisciplinary approach, combining phenomenology, critical theory, feminist perspectives, postmodern approaches, hermeneutic philosophy and virtue ethics.

Routledge International Handbook of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology is a compilation of works by leading scholars in theoretical and philosophical psychology that offers critical analyses of, and alternatives to, current theories and philosophies typically taken for granted in mainstream psychology. Within their chapters, the expert authors briefly describe accepted theories and philosophies before explaining their problems and exploring fresh, new ideas for practice and research. These alternative ideas offer thought-provoking ways of reinterpreting many aspects of human existence often studied by psychologists. Organized into five sections, the volume covers the discipline of psychology in general, various subdisciplines (e.g., positive psychology and human development), concepts of self and identity as well as research and practice. Together the chapters present a set of alternative ideas that have the potential to take the field of psychology in fruitful directions not anticipated in more traditional theory and research. This handbook will be a valuable resource for students and scholars of the theory, assumptions, and history of psychology.

In Critical Thinking About Psychology: Hidden Assumptions and Plausible Alternatives contributors examine the unquestioned givens of psychology and suggest other ways of looking at them. Psychologists are taught early in their careers to use their research findings to examine common myths and debunk false beliefs. Yet, in spite of this emphasis on critical analysis, psychologists do not typically subject psychology itself to such evaluation. In this fascinating volume, experts from varied subdisciplines critique assumptions peculiar to their specialty and then propose alternatives to replace the original assumptions. The book covers six major psychology subdisciplines, ranging from clinical psychology to neuropsychology. Contributors critique unquestioned tenets of the field such as the dualism between mind and body, the truth of efficient causation, and the discrete unit known as the individual. Authors then provide alternative ways of seeing the field, such as nondualistic models of the self and a moral vision of human development, effectively creating new conceptual ground for psychology. In analyzing what is taken for granted, this volume teaches critical thinking skills at the same time that it moves psychology in exciting new directions.

From Madame de Stael, Dumas, and Taine, to Giraudoux, Adamov, Ionesco, and the existentialists, this study provides a fascinating account of the progress of Kleist's reception in France from complete rejection in 1807 to spectacular critical and public acclaim in the 1950s. Richardson argues that Kleist's success in France disproves the traditional idea that his work is "unexportable" and shows the conditions that led to his positive reception outside Germany.