Introduction; 1. Change, the final frontier; 2. A (selected) foundation for a process approach; 3. The goal of Socrates; 4. Esteeming entities; 5. A person acting amongst persons; 6. Cliffhangers and utilitarian infants; 7. Causes, kings and interventions; 8. (Compl)explanation and King Alfonso's lament; 9. What's in a name?; 10. (Un)certainties; 11. Troubled waters of Hercalitus' river?; 12. Psychological science as a complex dynamic system.
Offers an entirely new way of thinking about how psychology works and how it constructs knowledge, using a process-based approach.
Paul van Geert is Emeritus Professor of developmental psychology at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands. He is considered a pioneer in the application of the (complex) dynamic systems approach to a broad range of developmental areas, including cognitive and early language development, second language acquisition, learning-teaching processes, and educational processes. Naomi de Ruiter is a developmental psychologist and an Assistant Professor at University College Groningen, the Netherlands. In her research, she applies a (complex) dynamic systems approach to the study of self and identity, and to classroom interactions.
'Contemporary psychology has supplemented its traditional cabinet
of curiosities, where inner substances such as 'intelligence' and
'extraversion' have long been on display, with the discovery of
several others we didn't know we have. Virtuous substances such as
'self-esteem', 'grit', and 'self-compassion' are now exhibited
alongside more noxious substances, such as post-traumatic stress
disorder or Borderline Personality Disorder. For those who might,
at this point, feel there are just too many inner substances to
keep track of, Paul van Geert and Naomi de Ruiter offer some
relief. They argue that many research programs in psychology get
caught up in their own dubious assumptions, neglecting the
vicissitudes of individual lives as lived over time. With learning
and humor, ranging from Ancient Greece to Monty Python, they invite
readers to contemplate a less rigid, more dynamic and
process-oriented research agenda in psychology.' Paul Harris,
Victor S. Thomas Professor of Education, Harvard University,
USA
'Van Geert and de Ruiter present a bold and comprehensive
denouncement of status quo psychological science to argue for a
more ontologically valid process and systems orientation. A guide
for how to move the science forward, this is a must-read for all
social scientists at any level of experience.' Tom Hollenstein,
Professor in the Department of Psychology, Queen's University,
Canada
'This book is a breath of fresh air for psychology. It inspires us
to question conventional assumptions and practices, and to think
about human behavior in new ways. Using an impressive range of
interdisciplinary sources, van Geert and de Ruiter masterfully and
convincingly demonstrate how systems theory and a process framework
can significantly advance basic and applied psychology.' Catherine
Raeff, Ph.D., Theoretical and Developmental Psychologist, USA
'This important book has it all. It provides an in-depth yet highly
accessible explanation of the complex systems approach to
psychology, while exposing the limitations of conventional
approaches. This is a must-read for anyone who yearns to understand
the dynamics of human experience and is looking for the path
forward.' Robin R. Vallacher, Professor and Interim Chair, Florida
Atlantic University, USA and Research Associate, Center for Complex
Systems, University of Warsaw, Poland
'Van Geert and de Ruiter provide psychological scientists with a
timely admonition: our discipline's mainstream research practices
and assumptions have yielded a base of knowledge and view of
reality wholly out of touch with the time- and context-sensitive
dynamics of people and their functioning. Written with exceptional
clarity, precision, and scope, this remarkable new book adds
immeasurably to the growing list of scholarly works challenging
science's orthodox ontology of substance in favor of a process
ontology.' David Witherington, Associate Professor, The University
of New Mexico, USA
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