Foucault, Psychology and the Analytics of Power

Abstract

, £47.50.Power and resistance are core concerns for social and community psychology, as is the need for greater critical reflexivity by psychological practitioners and researchers. Foucault is widely regarded as one of the 20th century's leading social theorists in both these areas. Despite this, 20 years after his death his work is surprisingly neglected by many critical psychologists-probably because his writings are so dense, contradictory and hard to follow. Within this context, Hook's brilliant, wide-ranging and provocative text provides a welcome and timely 'users' guide' to Foucauldian theory and methods.At the same time as grappling with the complexity of Foucault's ideas and methods, Hook's pathbreaking monograph sets up the basis of further dialogues between Foucault and an array of critical thinkers-most notably Vygotsky and Fanon. In the process he develops an enthralling and complex debate about the possibilities of a truly critical psychology, one not limited to the critique of the Psycomplex, but aware also of the potential of psychological concepts in political analyses. The critical psychology which emerges is hence less embroiled in wider social projects of 'discipline and punishment'. It takes account of both the social and 'the psychic life of power', attempting to generate innovative intersections between Foucauldian and a variety of more radical psychological (psychoanalytic, postcolonial, antiracist) projects of critique.Drawing both on Foucault's standard works, and a series of lesser known writings, the first goal of the book is to use Foucault's genealogical writings as a way of critically reconceptualising psychology as a form of power-knowledge that is part and parcel of the disciplinary and corrective practices of modern relations of control. Notions such as 'the individual' and 'subjectivity' are understood as the by-products of particular forms of disciplinary power, rather than as natural and given. An interesting illustration of these ideas is provided in a series of empirical examples derived from Hook's study of the 'microanalytics of power' in the psychotherapeutic encounter. In developing this general critique, Hook emphasises the importance of the historical and political dimensions of Foucauldian work, explaining and illustrating why an analysis of power is a key factor in understanding any human or social phenomenon.The second goal of the book is to use Foucault's thinking as a way of grounding a series of radical research methods. Hook explores Foucault's potential methodological contribution to the study of 'how power works', providing a clear account of these contributions without any loss of philosophical complexity. He pays particular attention to four analytical frameworks derived from his careful reading of Foucault's texts. Each of these approaches provides a different set of methodological injunctions for investigating unequal power relations.As Hook reminds his readers, Foucault's goal was not to provide a grand theory of power. Rather he sought to provide differe...

Mental Heath as a Weapon: Whistleblower Retaliation and Normative Violence

“…Dominant sub-themes emerged in relation to mental health and people's accounts, and these were noted alongside the identified contradictions. We attempted to highlight and discuss these 'states of disagreement' (Parker 2005, p. 175) rather than to force a falsely coherent account upon the data (Hook 2007).…”

“…However, there have been few studies focused on this linkage between discourse and practice, showing how understandings of the lived experience of whistleblower retaliation draw upon norms relating to mental health, and how these might be internalized by the whistleblowers themselves. We turn to poststructuralist psychoanalytic theory which has been applied to deal with issues of power and exclusion in relation to normative frameworks of gender, crime (Holloway and Jefferson 2000), public health (Fotaki 2014), psychiatric care (Rizq 2013), race (Hook 2007), among many others, to address these issues. Such framing allows us to consider how discourses shape our subjectivities through psychic internalization.…”

“…Foucault's account is also critiqued for ignoring affect in such dynamics (Hook 2007). Recently scholars have proposed that Lacanian, 'poststructuralist' psychoanalysis offers a useful contribution, shedding light on Foucauldian subjectification by accounting for the contribution of psychic dynamics in this process (Pavon-Cuellar 2010; Stavrakakis 2008).…”

“…A further contribution to Foucauldian understandings of subjectivity is the concept of affect (Butler 1997b;Hook 2007;Stavrakakis 2008). In Butler's reading of Foucault via Lacan, it is our desire for subjection that leads us to be 'passionately attached' to norms.…”

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