1. In defence of psychology: a reply to Goodley and Lawthom (2005).
- Author
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Forshaw, Mark
- Subjects
- *
COMMUNITY psychology , *PEOPLE with disabilities , *DISABILITIES , *RESEARCH , *PSYCHOLOGY , *SOCIAL sciences , *SOCIAL psychology , *SOCIOLOGY of disability - Abstract
Goodley & Lawthom discussed the role of a community psychology approach in conducting emancipatory disability research. While their aims are entirely laudable, they portrayed mainstream psychology as 'pathologising, voyeuristic, individualising, [and] impairment-obsessed'. This paper presents a reply to Goodley and Lawthom's somewhat outdated arguments for the dismissal of mainstream psychology and argues that the focus on a single 'best' method of researching disability does not serve the best interests of disabled people within society. It is argued that to create a 'new' psychology distinct from the 'mainstream' is unnecessary, undesirable and counter-productive. Mainstream psychology has much to offer disabled people and to dismiss it is to throw the baby out with the bathwater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2007
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