The quest for the gist: on challenges of going abstract in social and personality psychology

Personality and Social Psychology Review : an Official Journal of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc
Arie W Kruglanski

Abstract

Abstraction and generalization constitute important aims of science (Kruglanski, 2001, in press), yet broad theorizing is rather rare in social and personality psychology. Some reasons for this state of affairs are examined, including the considerable staying power of insufficiently abstract theories and the broad resistance that abstract theories can incite. The trials and tribulations of abstract theorizing are considered, drawing on my own work on lay epistemics. Its problems and pitfalls notwithstanding, abstract theorizing is what our field needs more of if progress is to take place and social and personality psychology is to obtain the voice it merits in the general cultural dialogue about societal issues. To encourage such theorizing, 3 principles are offered, including the commonality focus (the horizontal voyage), the data focus (the vertical voyage), and the restructuration focus (the upstream voyage) principles.

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Citations

May 3, 2006·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology·Pamela K Smith, Yaacov Trope
Apr 13, 2013·Psychonomic Bulletin & Review·Andrew Shtulman, Lester Tong
Nov 3, 2011·International Journal of Psychology : Journal International De Psychologie·Mark RubinRichard J Crisp
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Dec 20, 2011·Neuropsychology, Development, and Cognition. Section B, Aging, Neuropsychology and Cognition·Małgorzata KossowskaMarta Szastok
Apr 12, 2015·Personality and Social Psychology Review : an Official Journal of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc·Arie W KruglanskiE Tory Higgins
Aug 10, 2013·Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin·Gennaro PicaArie W Kruglanski
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Oct 27, 2009·Personality and Social Psychology Review : an Official Journal of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc·Michael A HoggRobert D Blagg
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Aug 3, 2012·Personality and Social Psychology Review : an Official Journal of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc·Arie W KruglanskiAyelet Fishbach
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Dec 1, 2007·Psychological Science in the Public Interest : a Journal of the American Psychological Society·Arie W KruglanskiJeff Victoroff

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