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14I. Titov
An integration of psychological knowledge: postnonclassical context
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Abstract. The article deals with the methodological problems of psychology caused by the postnonclassical trends in the modern science. It is shown that postnonclassical transformation of psychology's methodological grounds requires the constructive interaction between natural-scientific and humanitarian paradigm; the holistic modeling of the probed psychological reality; interdisciplinary and complex researches with the implementation of the different methods relevant to the specifics of the problem, etc. On the basis of conducted analysis the principle of integration was formulated.
Keywords: postnonclassical rationality, integration, natural-scientific and humanitarian paradigms, interdisciplinary and complex approaches, principle of integration.
The tendencies to integrate psychological science by providing a meaningful interaction between psychological theories are considered to be a particular feature of postnonclassical paradigm in psychology (Yurevich, 2005, 2008). Integration allows reaching such type of knowledge, in which "different psychological theories... form reciprocally coordinated network" (Gusel'tseva, Asmolov, 2007, p.20) and every approach finds its "adequate place in multidimensional reality of human psychic life" (Gusel'tseva, 2002, p.123). Underlining the prospects of work in this direction, which made possible a substantial progress in solving important methodological problems in psychology (Ball, 2010; Gusel'tseva, 2003, 2005; Mazilov, 2007, Yurevich, 2005), I'd like to emphasize at the same time the necessity of a more complete consideration of peculiarities of paradigmatic, interdisciplinary, and methodic synthesis as well as a specific of theoretical-experimental and applied psychology combination.
1. The peculiarities of interaction between natural-scientific and humanitarian paradigms in psychology are to be taken into consideration.
Despite differences between natural-scientific and humanitarian types (ideals) of rationality, modern methodologists underline the desirability of their construct interaction when solving the concrete research problem. Absolutization of these paradigms, their contraposition, unconditional acceptance or total negation leads either to considerable reduction of empirical object and disjunctive quantification of psychological phenomena, artificially separated from real person, or to subjectivism and low reliability of obtained empirical data. Therefore, two principal moments related to the overcoming of binary "natural -scientific - humanitarian ideals of rationality" opposition should be pointed out. Firstly, the transition to such rationality that would organically combine within psychological cognition both scientific and humanitarian research tradition (of course, with appropriate reflection of problem niches relevant to every
stated paradigm) is quite necessary. Secondly, the main demand to mentioned rationality is its focusing on dialectic-creative elaboration of contradictions in order to get most complete and profound knowledge about investigated phenomenon. This implies an application of dialogue (meaningful interaction based on the logic of mutual enrichment and development) and mediation (system-oriented synthesis by colligation of contradictory theses). The efficiency of mediation mostly depends on the level of elaboration of terminological apparatus, notions' content definite-ness, accurateness of their terminological designation, and their correspondence to the demands of logical relevance. In case of succession of psychological discourse, an adequate modeling of probed objects' essential qualities could be reached (Ball, 2006). Thus, the optimistic prospect in overcoming the conflict between mentioned paradigms emerges. A. Yurevich writes about this: "New tendencies in the development of psychological science give reason to assume that it is not doomed to an age-old confrontation of natural-scientific and humanitarian paradigms,
which from certain angle of view on psychological reality could be not only non-antagonistic, but, in T. Kuhn terms, quite commensurate and consistent" (Yurevich, 2008, p.14). Due to this, he continues, "complex, multipolar psychological explanations having concern both with neurons and meaning of life could be one of the main means of overcoming the opposition of natural-scientific and humanitarian mental studies" (ibid.).
2. In addition, the interdisciplinary orientation of modern postnonclassical science ought to be taken into consideration.
The need for a system knowledge about the world (including the knowledge about the human as a constituent part of the world) causes the increasing interpenetration of theoretical and experimental representations of the reality that formed within different sciences. Hence, the interdisciplinary orientation of the researches also acquires especial significance for psychology, which in the context of postmodern cul-
ture and philosophy can integrate both extra- and in-tra-psychological knowledge, becoming "humanistic, social-cultural, historical, hermeneutic, and phenom-enological at the same time" (Gusel'tseva, 2002, p.123). This needs some extra explanations.
Lately in psychological science, the tendency to combine knowledge, accumulated in different theoretical areas, can be distinctively traced. This forms epistemological preconditions to reduce the gap "between main psychological theories and corresponding psychological 'empires' (behaviorism, cognitive sciences, psychoanalysis, etc.), that propose their own images of psychological reality, rules of its studying, etc." (Yurevich, 2005, pp.18-19). The reducing of such gap in the system of psychological science A. Yurevich connects with so-called horizontal integration that is built on cross-theoretical basis and includes cognitive, affective and behavioral components as main constituent parts of the mind. These cognitive, affec-
tive and behavioral loci of psychological reality, according to A. Yurevich, could be put over and combined in triad (Yurevich, 2005).
Other scholars also point out the possibility of combination of different traditions and approaches in psychology. In particular, A. Karmin writes that different scientific directions in modern psychology "are not so logically strictly formed into theoretical systems so that they can be separated. They are not 'un-connactable' at least in sense that it is possible to pick out separate statements and to combine them. For instance, theory of psychological defense mechanisms, taken from psychoanalytical psychology, is quite compatible with ideas of humanistic psychology as well as views of gestalt-psychologists easily coordinate with the concepts of cognitivism" (Karmin, 2005, p.84). Thus, psychological theories, based on alternative epistemological foundations, just describe "their own" part of psychological reality and do not contradict with other theories, only amplifying general-scientific picture and making it more precise and exact.
Turning to the possibilities of other research paradigms allows gripping those sides of studied phenomenon that cannot be caught from the positions of other paradigm coordinates. Moreover, the predictable and explanatory possibilities of certain psychological theory expand considerably and new additional grounds for affirmation of its universality and external validity can be found. Ultimately, this ensures the progress of psychological cognition as a whole.
The deepening of interdisciplinary connections depends primarily, on the one hand, on transition from subject to problem orientation in psychological studies, and, on the other hand, on the becoming of communicative component of methodology of psychology, which is related to "the corresponding... of different level theories and different methodological orientations and approaches" (Mazilov, 2007, p.11). The mechanism of such corresponding of psychological problems may be mainly grounded on:
1) awareness of "indivisible profound essence of combining conceptions, their representation as sides
of entity, and their description as different levels of existence or consciousness, etc." (Stolovich, 2000, p.49);
2) mentioned above dialogical and mediational interaction of all involved theoretical elements in order to find an appropriate place for certain psychological discourse in a net space of academic communications;
3) focusing of meanings not so much on the object of cognition itself as on the process of cognitive activity, which is oriented on the ideal of reaching of rationally proved truth. It is also preferable to use "the category of relative truth, which, in difference with absolute truth, is considered to be not so much 'significant' as 'significant-meaningful' formation" (Ball, 2011, p.24).
In that way, within the framework of interdisciplinary study the conditions for integration (in episte-mological aspect) of scientific knowledge arise. This emerges in striving to synthesize the theoretical "models that describe particular aspects of psychic reality" (Gusel'tseva, Asmolov, 2007, p.20) by means of
making "conceptual bridges" between them. In that case, the ontological ground for epistemological integration is a consideration of a person as an entity of somatic, psychological, and spiritual qualities. As G. Ball underlines, objective existence of holistic human individual creates ontological foundation to combine adequate information (obtained by different methods that focus on different qualities of that individual) about him/her (Ball, 2009).
3. In addition to above-mentioned the specifics of integration on methodical level of psychological study must be noted. The question is that classical system of logical-empirical ways and operations of acquisition and verification of knowledge about complex, changeable and contradictory nature of objects studied by modern postnonclassical psychology is inadequate. The productive psychological study of such objects demands the combination of nomothetic and ideographic methods of cognition. As T. Kornilova writes: "Modern search of philosophical comprehen-
sion of the conceptions of human world on postnon-classical stage of science development presupposes the necessity of constructing such field of scientific researches, where description and explanation, ascertainment of laws and search of meanings, nomothetic and ideographic approaches would be not dichotomies but reflected poles, towards which the certain methodology, implemented in particular study, leads" (Kornilova, 2012, p.198). Moreover, the set to individualize the psychological study (as it takes place while using ideographic strategy) in the final analysis may favor the transition from single to general, from casual to indispensable, from phenomena to essence in them; and, vice versa, objective disclosure of the laws within nomothetic research may correspond with concrete, unique and individually variable occurrences. This will provide addition, clarity, and extension of scientific ideas about probed object by means of disclosure of its single, particular, and general determinants and, as a result, holistic and non-reductive "understanding of man, mediated with objective psychological knowledge" (Krichevets, 2008, p.82).
Complex use of methods for maximal or optimal scope of significant (including hard-formalizing) different-level parameters of investigated objects supposes obligatory abidance of such demands:
1) consistency of methods with the peculiarities of probed objects and goals of research;
2) complete explication of alternative hypotheses about empirical subject as well as a correct implementation of logical (including mathematical-statistical) procedures of their falsification;
3) accurate and consecutive adherence to the principles of reconstruction (shift from phenomenology to the description of inaccessible for immediate empirical fixation mental displays) and modeling (Ale-ksandrov, Maksimova, 2002).
4. In conclusion, the necessity of overcoming the cleavage between academic psychology and professional practice has to be emphasized. The causes of such split could be seen, primarily, in differences of languages, units of analysis and logic of its construction, used in academic and practical psychology. At
the same time, the increasing tendency of convergence, cognitive interpenetration of practical and academic psychology could be traced (Vasilyuk, 1996; Gusel'tseva, 2005; Yurevich, 2005). In particular, it displays itself in spreading within academic psychology of such practical psychology's attributes as qualitative analysis, case study, recognition of unique personal experience as a source of psychological knowledge. The adaptation of so-called "big" theories (that became symbols of academic psychology) to the needs of practice, on the one hand, and theoretical-methodological reflection of "small" theories, emerged from practical activities, on the other hand, is also considered to be an important aspect of coordination between academic and applied psychology (Yurevich, 2005).
Comprehending the main trends in integration of psychological research and practice, F. Vasilyuk connects the prospect of their convergence with realization of psycho-technical approach. Its principal
scheme - "consciousness-practice-culture" - specifies the context of human wholeness, promoting the introduction of psychological practice inside psychological theory and psychological theory inside psychological practice (Vasilyuk, 1996). According to M. Gusel'tseva, the leitmotif of such cognitive convergence is "postnonclassical rationality, aimed at problem-oriented studies, in which theorists and practical psychologists solve problems jointly" (Gusel'tseva, 2005, p.15). In this connection, A. Yur-evich assigns an exclusive part to fundamental technological studies that combine fundamental research
with practical technologies and allow reducing an opposition between academic and applied psychology (Yurevich, 2008).
Outlined aspects related to the elaboration of the model of psychological knowledge integration allow formulating, in general, the principle of integration. This principle assumes the fulfillment within the system of scientific activity of inter-paradigm and interdisciplinary dialogue, expedient coordination of different methodical approaches and research strategies, constructive interaction of fundamental and applied knowledge (Titov, 2014).
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Ттов 1.Г.
1нтегращя психодопчного знання: постнекласичний контекст
Анотацш. У статт розглядаються методолопчш проблем1 сучасно! психологи, зумо-влеш постнекласичними тенденщями у сучаснш наущ. Вказано, що постнекласична трансформация методолопчних основ психологи вимагае конструктивно! взаемоди природничонауково! та гумаштарно! дослщницьких традицш; максимально повне моделювання досшджувано! псих1чно! реальности проведення м1ждисциплшарних та комплексних дослщжень засобами декшькох р1зних наукових дисциплш, кон-кретне поеднання яких визначаеться специфжою вщповщно! проблеми тощо. На основ! здшсненого анал1зу сформульований принцип штеграци.
Ключов1 слова: постнекласична ращональшсть, штегращя природничонаукова та гумаштарна парадигми, м1ждисциплшарний та комплексний пщходи, принцип ш-теграци.
Титов И.Г.
Интеграция психологического знания: постнеклассический контекст
Аннотация. В статье рассматриваются методологические проблемы психологии, обусловленные постнеклассическими тенденциями в современной науке. Показано, что постнеклассическая трансформация методологических основ психологии требует конструктивного взаимодействия естественнонаучной и гуманитарной исследовательской традиций; максимально полное моделирование исследуемой психической реальности; проведение междисциплинарных и комплексных исследований средствами разных научных дисциплин, конкретное сочетание которых определяется спецификой соответствующей проблемы.
Ключевые слова: постнеклассическая рациональность, интеграция, естественнонаучная и гуманитарная парадигмы, междисциплинарный и комплексный подходы, принцип интеграции.
