The role of values, power, and money in the psydisciplines

pp. 179-199

in: Thomas Teo, Outline of theoretical psychology, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, 2018

Abstract

Ethical thinking and doing, in a broad sense, play a significant role in psychology. It is inconceivable that a discipline that deals with human beings does not have ethical–political concerns at its core. The values of psychology and practical reason in psychology, based on the distinction between ethical, pragmatic-utilitarian, and moral thinking, are presented, using the well-documented examples of torture and financial conflicts of interest. Psychology's role in control and adaptation is demonstrated. From a critical perspective, it is shown that psychology supports the status quo and has difficulties with the idea of social justice. Psychology has been a very successful discipline in terms of its expansion, but questions remain about the ways in which this success has been achieved to the detriment of a postconventional moral stand.