Discourse Analysis as a Method in the History of Psychology

Abstract

This paper suggests the use of discourse analysis (DA), as proposed by early discursive psychologists, as a method in the history of Psychology. It points out some key differences between such an approach and typical historical analyses, and argues that the analysis of scientific discourse, from which this form of DA emerged, continues to be relevant to our understanding of the history and nature of psychological knowledge. Given the importance of scientific status to Psychology, and the absence of a clear demarcation between science and other forms of knowledge, there is a need to understand better how bodies of psychological knowledge came to be seen as ‘scientific’. An example is given of how DA can be used to examine how versions of science and scientific expertise have been deployed in debates over scientificity; in this case, in order to present experiments that led to the discovery of a ‘psychic force’ as legitimate science. It is hoped that this will show how DA can offer both a complementary approach to more conventional historical studies and a way for psychology students to explore historical and conceptual issues.