Summary

` Critical Psychology acknowledges the influence of related perspectives including feminism, critical theroy, postmodernism, hermeneutics and discursive psychology. Fox and Prilleltensky do not set out to write an account of the history of critical psychology.... Instead, Fox and Prilleltensky′s text introduces us to a particular strand of recent critical work in psychology. The book is also notable because it stands as a potential teaching text, which is relatively unusual in critical psychology.... Finally, perhaps the most telling endorsement for any book is that I have already ordered copies for use in an undergraduate psychology module.... I welcome this thought provoking and accessible text, and look forward to subsequent editions ′ - British Journal of Educational Psychology

In this major textbook, an international cast of contributors offers a broad-ranging and clearly written introduction to the diverse strands of critical psychology.

Recent years have seen a widespread and important challenge, on an international scale, to the moral, political and scientific status of psychology. This critical psychology has transformed or influenced debates across the discipline, and yet much of its writings have been highly technical and complex.

The first comprehensive and accessible introduction of its kind, Critical Psychology is organized into four sections: Part One explores the values, history, methods, ethics and practice of psychology; Part Two places core subdisciplines of psychology - ranging from intelligence research through developmental and social psychology to cross-cultural, lesbian and gay, and political psychology - under critical scrutiny; Part Three sets out major theoretical frameworks that underpin critical psychology, including feminist theory, discourse analysis and postmodernism; and Part Four reflects both on debates arising in preceding chapters and issues for the future of critical psychology.