1st Edition

Person-Centered Studies in Psychology of Science Examining the Active Person

Edited By Lisa M. Osbeck, Stephen L. Antczak Copyright 2023
182 Pages
by Routledge

182 Pages
by Routledge

182 Pages
by Routledge

This unique collection examines "the acting person" as an important unit of analysis for science studies, using an integrative approach of in-depth case studies to explore the cognitive, social, cultural, and personal dimensions of a series of key figures in the sciences, from Goethe to Kepler to Rachel Carson. Opening up key questions about what science is, and what comprises a scientist, the... Read more

Introduction: Person-centered Studies in Psychology of Science

Lisa M. Osbeck and Stephen L. Antczak

1. Johannes Kepler – A Pragmaticist Priest of God at the Book of Nature

Muhammad Azam Khalid

2. Goethe: A Person of Science

Michael V. Steder

3. The Process of Mendeleev’s Discovery: A Multidimensional, Relational Perspective

Ahmed Asad

4. Henri Poincaré: The Poet of Mathematics and Physics

Yousaf Raza

5. When the Mind Cannot be Trusted: The Lonely Genius of John Nash Jr.

Ronald C. Hopkins

6. An Interpretation of Franz Boas’ Contributions to Anthropology and Scientific Anti-Racism: Merging a Psychology of Science with Anthropology and Feminist Theory to Discuss the Human Influence in Science

Georgia F. Crowe

7. Rachel Carson: A Scientist of Life Itself

Peder Schillemat

8. Science in the Mists: Dian Fossey

Stephen L. Antczak

9. Commentary

Ronald B. Miller

 

Biography

Lisa M. Osbeck is Professor of Psychology at the University of West Georgia, Fellow of the American Psychological Association, and a past-president of the Society for General Psychology (APA Division 1).

Stephen L. Antczak’s academic publishing credits feature in the publications Qualitative Psychology, the Journal of Constructivist Psychology, and the Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology. Areas of interest include the communication of knowledge in science teams and the subjective experiences of working scientists.

"Person-Centered Studies in Psychology of Science maintains that various psychological features of individual scientists are indispensable for a thoroughgoing understanding of science itself. 'Case studies' of prominent historically-and-disciplinarily diverse scientists vividly illustrate this indisputable-yet-overlooked fact. Taken as a whole, the book provides a missing link in contemporary science studies: How appreciating the personal, cognitive, and social dimensions of scientists themselves sheds new light on their well-known contributions to knowledge about the world and ourselves. Students and educators will find much to discuss in these pages, written by authors who focus their psychological lenses on the workings of science at the level of scientists themselves."

Barbara S. Held, Barry Wish Professor of Psychology and Social Studies Emerita, Bowdoin College, USA

"In this fascinating, provocative set of explorations of the lives of particular scientists, the authors shed new light on the psychology of science and on the nature of science itself."

Alan Tjeltveit, Professor of Psychology Emeritus, Muhlenberg College, USA

"I recommend this gem of a book to a very broad audience. More than pedagogical, it is a ground-breaking contribution to the psychology of science and to qualitative, person-centered psychology. A welcome addition to undergraduate and graduate curricula that will attract and edify students at all levels, this fascinating collection will also interest the lay public. Its engaging style and substance will be enjoyed by readers as their understanding of both science and psychology are challenged and enhanced."

Frederick J. Wertz, Professor Emeritus, Fordham University, USA