Why is theorising so limited in mainstream psychology? Why do mainstream psychological theories have so little of consequence to say about enormously important topics such as conflict and change? Why is it that when we want to understand conflict and change, we do not reach for explanations from mainstream psychology? The answer to these questions is that theorising in mainstream psychology is still shackled to limited and flawed ideas about what constitutes scientific research methodology.
In order to try to position itself as a science, mainstream psychology has adopted the causal model and the experimental laboratory method as the gold standard. Psychological theorising has been stunted by this incorrect perspective, which still largely dominates academic psychology. The result is the almost complete neglect of vitally important topics such as conflict and change, as well as democracy and dictatorship, which are seen as far too complex to study through one-hour experiments.
This volume represents an exciting and serious effort to apply a ‘from societies to cells,’ rather than the reductionist ‘from cells to societies,’ type of analysis to conflict and change. We are reminded of the deceptively simple Gestalt motto, ‘The whole is more than the sum of its parts.’ The overall picture that emerges is of a valuable historically grounded effort to break out of traditional disciplinary boundaries and come to grips with conflict and change in everyday life. A next step is to better understand limitations and possibilities for change. This brings to mind the concept of political plasticity, limitations on how fast, how much and in what ways political behaviour does (or does not) change. Such limitations are in part psychological, having to do with basic cognitive processes such as categorisation, but they also include biological, social, cultural and economic factors. Genetic social psychology as discussed in this volume seems poised to fruitfully take on the challenge of exploring the limitations and possibilities of change.
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