Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2000. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study evaluates the development of a discursive approach to social psychology in
terms of this discipline's most pressing metatheoretical question: what is the relation
between the individual and the social in social psychology? This question is illuminated
through a discussion of traditional cognitive approaches to social psychology as well
as postmodern critiques of the discipline, after which the discursive approach is
introduced to address shortcomings in both these perspectives. The discursive
approach incorporates a key insight of recent developments in the philosophy of
language, namely that language is not primarily referential, but constructive of our
experiences and relationship to reality. By taking seriously both the performative or
rhetorical and the abstract-systemic characteristics of language, discursive social
psychology addresses the traditional issues of individualism and the reduction of the
social on two levels: first, as it is revealed in especially traditional cognitive approaches
to social psychology; and secondly, as it supports a set of specifically Western cultural
values that reproduce cultural and political practices and power imbalances. Discursive
social psychology is subsequently presented as a definite advance with regard to
providing richer conceptions of social-cognitive processes and the socio-cultural
foundations of psychological phenomena. Despite this there are also important
limitations that should be taken into account before discursive social psychology is
imported to South Africa as a critical alternative: the focus on language goes along with
a negation of the materiality and embodied nature of experience. Because experience
cannot be pre-reflexively psychological meaningful, discursive social psychology
remains to develop a theory of agency that indicates how criticism, resistance and
change is possible. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie evalueer die ontwikkeling van 'n diskursiewe benadering tot die sosiale
sielkunde in terme van hierdie dissipline se mees knellende metateoretiese vraag: wat
is die verhouding tussen die individuele en die sosiale in sosiale sielkunde? Hierdie
vraag word aangespreek deur eers te kyk na tradisioneel kognitiewe benaderings tot
en postmodernistiese kritiek op die sosiale sielkunde, waarna die diskursiewe
benadering bekendgestel word soos dit die tekortkominge in hierdie twee perspektiewe
aanspreek. Die diskursiewe benadering inkorporeer 'n sleutel-insig van onlangse
ontwikkelinge in die taalfilosofie, naamlik dat taal nie primêr referensieel is nie, maar
konstruktief en medebepalend van ons ervaring van en verhouding tot die werklikheid.
Deur beide die performatiewe of retoriese en die meer abstrak-sistemiese kenmerke
van taal ernstig op te neem, spreek die diskursiewe sosiale sielkunde die tradisionele
knelpunte van individualisme en reduksie van die sosiale op twee vlakke aan: eerstens,
soos dit onthul word in veral tradisioneel kognitiewe benaderings tot sosiale sielkunde;
en tweedens, soos dit 'n stel spesifiek Westers-kulturele waardes onderhou wat bydra
tot die reproduksie van kulturele en politieke praktyke en mags-wanbalanse.
Diskursiewe sosiale sielkunde word gevolglik aangetoon as 'n definitiewe vooruitgang
wat betref die uiteensetting van ryker konsepsies van sosiaal kognitiewe prosesse en
die sosiaal-kulturele grondslae van sielkundige fenomene. Ten spyte hiervan is daar
egter ook belangrike gebreke wat in ag geneem moet word voordat diskursiewe sosiale
sielkunde as kritiese alternatief na Suid-Afrika ingevoer word: die fokus op taal gaan
qepaard met 'n negering van die materialiteit en liggaamlikheid van ervaring. Omdat
ervaring nie pre-refleksief sielkundige betekenis kan hê nie, bly hierdie ontwikkeling se
verstaan van agentskap in gebreke om te verduidelik hoe kritiek, teenstand en
verandering moontlik is.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/52025 |
| Date | 03 1900 |
| Creators | Painter, Desmond William |
| Contributors | Theron, W.H., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Psychology. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 185 p. |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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