Through the Looking Glass: No Wonderland Yet! (The Reciprocal Relationship between Methodology and Models of Reality)

Abstract

This article discusses the relationship between conceptual frameworks and methodology in psychology. It is argued that our models of reality influence our research in terms of question selection, causal factors hypothesized, and interpretation of data. The position and role of women as objects and agents of research are considered in terms of a sociology of knowledge perspective. Suggestions are offered for a more reflexive psychology.

Gender: An Intersectionality Perspective

“…And what would that look like that would not simultaneously oversimplify or disaggregate the very relational, emergent properties of identity that intersectionality theory captures? Audre Lorde famously asserted that you cannot dismantle the master's house with the master's tools, which has spurred ongoing debate, not only in psychology (e.g., Unger 1983;Riger 2000), but in all areas of the social and behavioral sciences that have a strong tradition of relying on quantitative methods (e.g., McCall 2005;Walker 2003).…”

Leave No Text Behind: Teaching the Psychology of Women During the Emergence of Second Wave Feminism

“…The title was and is something of a consciousness raiser and we argue repeatedly throughout the text and elsewhere (c.f., Unger 1982Unger , 1983) that feminism is no more incompatible with objectivity than any other theoretical perspective.…”

Editorial comment: Perspectives on gender roles in physical activity

“…Drawing from the work of Belenky, Clinchy, Goldberger, and Tarula (1986) which entailed an ex- amination of female epistemological development across a variety of domains, Bredemeier and her colleagues employed interactive interviewing and collaborative techniques in ascertaining the experiences of women specifically in physical activity settings. This work exemplifies the application of dialectic or reflexive psychology to the field of sport psychology as the investigators presumed and maintained a reciprocal relationship between researcher and researched (Fasting, 1990;Hall, 1985;Unger, 1983). Such an approach nicely brought to light the multitude of meanings that sport and exercise hold for women and the facets of the physical activity environment which may influence those meanings.…”