• 04 Aug 2022

Thinking critically will change your life

A relatively new branch of psychology encourages critical thinking more than any other. It is called Critical Psychology and aims at challenging assumptions, methods, and theories of mainstream psychology - often rooted in pop culture. A sub-extension of it focuses on Social Psychology (Critical Social Psychology) and is imprinted on social inequality and injustice. It suggests that there is a general inattention to the role that power plays in our society, which led conventional psychology to assume that things are as they should be. The adverse consequences of such an approach are a tendency to uphold the status quo, victim-blame, and situate problems within individuals rather than in their social context.

We can say that critical psychology challenges us to think outside the box, avoid seeing knowledge and science as the ultimate truth, and accept the continuously changing essence of life. 

 

Reflecting on critical psychology's principles can enable people to adopt a more flexible and open mindset. Therefore, we suggest a few books that can help you explore the subject on a deeper level so that you can start thinking about your environment differently: 

1. Crazy like us: The globalization of the American psyche - Watters, E. (2010)

The book explores the consequences of the globalization of the American culture, emphasizing that the way our society views and treats mental disorders is the most catastrophic among the beliefs exported. 

2. The Therapeutic Turn - Madsen, O. J. (2014)

An evaluation of the increasing prevalence of psychology in several areas of Western society: from consumer culture and contemporary Christianity to self-help, sport, and politics. 

 

3. Internet Addiction: A Critical Psychology of Users - Friedman, E. (2020)

A great work that investigates user subjectivity as a function of capitalism and imperialism. It argues against punitive models of digital excesses and critiques the political economy of the Internet affecting all users. 

 

4. Psychology and the Conduct of Everyday Life - Schraube, E. & Højholt, C. (2015)

This book takes on the challenge of moving psychological theory and research practice from the laboratory to the everyday world. It examines how people live as active subjects within the contexts of their everyday lives while understanding the dilemmas and contradictions people face in contemporary society.

 

 Copyright © 2022 Harvard Business Council