Individuality in Cultural Context : The Case for Psychological Agency  

Oleh:

Jenkins, Adelbert H.

Jenis: Article from Journal - ilmiah internasional
Dalam koleksi: Theory and Psychology vol. 11 no. 3 (Jun. 2001), page 347–362.
Topik: PSYCHOLOGICAL; agency; dialectical thinking; self; social constructionism; individuality; cultural context; case; psychological agency
Fulltext: 347TP113.pdf (77.94KB)

Isi artikel

In recent decades social science writing has given renewed attention to the notion of the self in human functioning. One tradition in social science writing has emphasized the importance of sociocultural influences on self - development, and some theorists seem to argue that such factors are primary in understanding the sense of individuality. This paper takes issue with the strong statement of this 'social constructionist' view. While it is true that the content of personhood is fashioned in social context and varies across cultures, irreducible processes of individual human psychological agency also contribute to the development and functioning of the person. The universal capacity for 'dialectical' thinking is discussed here as one such process. The importance of individual agency is highlighted in an example from a 'socio centrically' organized society. Both social and individual psychological perspectives are necessary to obtain a better grasp of the complexity of individuality.

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