Psy-Complex in Question: Critical Review In Psychology, Psychoanalysis And Social Theory

by Ian Parker

Psy-Complex in Question traces a series of key debates in and against the psy-complex through critical reviews of twenty-five key texts over the last twenty-five years, with an emphasis on recent critical psychological, psychoanalytic and critical social theory contributions to how we think about human agency and subjectivity. The reviews together set out the unfolding context for the debate, and situate the texts under discussion in the cross-cutting debates that define critical psychology today. It also provides an accessible introduction to how psychoanalysis and social theory, with a particular focus on the work of Jacques Lacan and Slavoj Žižek, bears upon work carried out by a new generation of researchers. Ian Parker's book is written from the perspective of a critical insider to the discipline of psychology, psychoanalysis and social theory, and it will serve as a primer for those new to the ideas searching for compass points and radical arguments, as well as examples of how to write and how not to write a book review.

Genres: Psychology

184 pages, Paperback

Published January 26, 2018

About the author

Ian Parker is a British psychologist who has been a principal exponent of three quite diverse critical traditions inside the discipline. His writing has provided compass points for researchers searching for alternatives to ‘mainstream’ psychology in the English-speaking world (that is, mainstream psychology that is based on laboratory-experimental studies that reduce behavior to individual mental processes).

The three critical traditions Parker has promoted are ‘discursive analysis’, ‘Marxist psychology’ and ‘psychoanalysis’. Each of these traditions is adapted by him to encourage an attention to ideology and power, and this modification has given rise to fierce debates, not only from mainstream psychologists but also from other ‘critical psychologists’. Parker moves in his writing from one focus to another, and it seems as if he is not content with any particular tradition of research, using each of the different critical traditions to throw the others into question.

Reviews

[Elite Group · Rating 3 out of 5]

Critical review of papers on this subject

Reviewing this book seemed a strange exercise as the book is a series of reviews of papers relating to the Psy-Complex – a drawing together of the disciplines of Psychology, Psychoanalysis and Social Theory.

Ian Parker is an activist, an academic and practising psychoanalyst, currently living in Manchester. As a member of the Asylum Collective which produces Asylum: Magazine for Democratic Psychiatry, he is well placed to carry out this peer review.

Whilst having a background in psychology, I am not qualified to judge Parker’s reviews, especially as I haven’t read the papers he is reviewing. The best I can do is to give this book
3 stars based on what appear to be intelligent and reasoned reviews which hopefully will become a useful resource for those working in this field.

There is also a short paper on how to write a review, which I found both enlightening and instructive!

Pashtpaws

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

[Krystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Psy-Complex in Question, Ian Parker's critical perspective takes a radical departure from psychoanalysis, by drawing on interdisciplinary material from social and political theory.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting point of view, this book review the basis of the modern psychology with another perpective. Excellent book!