ABSTRACT
The reason for the movements of fashion in explanation lies in the fact that individual psychology cannot be understood outside the context of a social world. It would be absurd to suppose that any one of us can escape the influence of our social, political, economic and cultural environment, and hence any attempt to construct an absolute psychology appealing to unchanging fundamental principles must be a mistake. Even psychoanalysis – perhaps one of the most honest and, at least potentially, genuinely scientific attempts to elaborate a human psychology – fails to get far beyond the notion of individual responsibility, despite recognizing that people act for reasons of which they are not conscious. Even psychoanalysis – perhaps one of the most honest and, at least potentially, genuinely scientific attempts to elaborate a human psychology – fails to get far beyond the notion of individual responsibility, despite recognizing that people act for reasons of which they are not conscious.
