Revolution in psychology

Psychology is meant to help people cope with the afflictions of modern society. But how useful is it? Ian Parker argues that current psychological practice has become part of the problem, rather than the solution. Ideal for undergraduates, this book deconstructs the discipline to reveal the neoliberal sensitivities that underlie its theory and practice. Psychology focuses on the happiness of ’the individual’. Yet it neglects the fact that the happiness of the individual depends on their social and political surroundings. Ian Parker argues that a new approach to psychology is needed. He offers an alternative vision, outlining how the discipline can be linked to political practice and how it can help people as part of a wider progressive agenda. In the tradition of Thomas Szasz’s `Anti-psychiatry’ and R D Laing’s work on schizophrenia in the 1960’s, Ian Parker’s groundbreaking book is at the cutting edge of current thinking on the discipline and should be required reading on all psychology courses.