Critique of Critical Psychology’s Critique of Quantitative Studies
Jesper Dammeyer (University of Copenhagen)

Critical theories in psychology (in broad terms theories inspired by Marxism, phenomenology, poststructuralism, psychoanalysis and other systems of thought) share a critique of mainstream scientific approaches (i.e. quantitative studies). In this critique, mainstream psychology studies comprise the “psychology of the bourgeoisie” that overlooks the cultural-historical (Marxist) and subjective (phenomenological) transformation/embeddedness of the psychological subject.

However, quantitative methods are not per se equivalent to positivism, but, as will be argued in this presentation, can hold critical potential. By recognizing the difference between the method (quantitative methods) and the ontological and epistemological assumptions, critical psychology might avoid the risk of an empirical and methodological self-elimination and expand its influence through embracing new possibilities of research.

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