Psychologisation in Times of Globalisation

Today more than ever, our understanding of ourselves, others and the world around us is described in psychological terms. Psychologists deeply influence our society, and psychological-discourse has invaded companies, advertising, culture, politics, and even our social and family life. Moreover, psychologisation has become a global process, applied to situations such as torture, reality TV and famine. This book analyses this ‘overflow of psychology’ in the three main areas of science, culture and politics.

The concept of psychologisation has become crucial to current debates in critical psychology. De Vos combines these debates with insights from the fields of critical theory, philosophy and ideology critique, to present the first book-length argument that seriously considers the concept of psychologisation in these times of globalisation.

The book contains numerous real-world examples making it an accessible and engaging analysis that should be of interest to researchers, postgraduates and undergraduate students of psychology and philosophy.

Jan De Vos is a researcher at the faculty of Philosophy and Moral Sciences at Ghent University, Belgium.

1. Introduction: The Critique of Psychologisation: Deadlocks in the Critique of Psychologisation. 2. The Birth of the Homo Psychologicus: The Chronicle of a Death Foretold. 3. Psychologisation and the Sciences. 4. Psychologisation and Culture. 5. Psychologisation and Politics. 6. Psychologisation in Times of Globalisation.