Critical Psychology: The most recent version (soon to be replaced), illustrated by the problem of motivation

Abstract

Critical Psychology (CP) cannot be defined as only critical in the classic, Enlightenment meaning: as a systematically reflective alternative to traditional ways of thinking, relevant to a changing society, since psychology, as I will argue, is already this. Rather, CP is critical in the sense of continuing the tradition of declaring a crisis of psychology and implying a need for refoundation, even as the mainstream sought to institutionalize psychology as an established science, at a time when institutions demanded psy knowledge and only a radically revised psychology could address the need for their transformation. CP cannot overcome the hope of a new psychology by rejecting psychology, nor by institutionalizing itself. This calls for rethinking the critical as performative, affirmative and immanent-and it could be called post-psychology as a way of flagging the uncertainty of its status. This general approach is demonstrated through the psychology of motivation. As