In search of psychology: A response to Bunge

Abstract

In his provocative essay, Mario Bunge asks, “What kind of discipline is psychology?” In particular, Bunge decomposes the inquiry into three smaller questions: (1) Is psychology autonomous from or dependent upon other disciplines? (2) Is psychology a humanistic or scientific discipline? (3) Is psychology a biological or sociological science! Bunge’s answers to these three questions are summarized in Table 1. The first question concerns the relation of psychology to other disciplines. In answering the first question, Bunge concludes that “there is no merit in the autonomy thesis” because “isolation of a discipline from the total system of the sciences is a ieliable indicator of its nonscientific character.” Without citing convincing scientific evidence, Bunge concludes that psychology is a “distinct and very special discipline but not one detached from other sciences.” Without providing evidence concerning the degree of consensus among psychologists, Bunge defines psychology’s subject matter (namely, the study of behavior, affect, and cognition) and methods (namely, observation, and experimentation). Finally, Bunge observes that psychology “is theoretical as well as experimental, and it rejects no genuine psychological phenomenon.” Thus, psychology should be placed within a grouping of academic disciplines rather than as an isolated discipline. The second question narrows the focus by asking whether psychology belongs with the arts and humanities or with the sciences. In answering the second question, Bunge asserts that “the dominant view is that basic psychology is a