Abstract
A methodological-historical analysis of three epistemological issues in the history of psychology—the subject matter of psychology, the criterion of psychological truth, and ethical principles that govern the application of psychological knowledge—concludes that psychology is a multidisciplinary field with different segments employing irreconcilable orientations. The observational foundation of psychology can either be the intrasubjecfive examination of consciousness or the intersubjective report of behavior, with the kind of knowledge emerging from one being presently incommensurable with the other. Four forms of understanding—deductive explanation, behavioral control, interpretive consistency, and intuitive knowing—have been employed, with the former two meeting the standards of natural science whereas the latter two are consistent with a human science orientation. An acceptance of a natural science sense of understanding implies the rejection of a human science criterion and vice versa. Psychologists can assume either a prescriptive or descriptive stance when applying psychological knowledge, with each position being opposed to the other. In conclusion, a divorce among irreconcilable segments of psychology is suggested as not only desirable but imperative.
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