Discursive style and psychological practice

Abstract

It is argued that the corpus of certified psychological knowledge does not permit the rigorous deduction of prescriptions for action as is entailed by the view of psychological practice as a form of technical rationality. It is suggested that a central aspect of psychological practice is the use of an authoritative and culturally valorised style of discourse which helps constitute certain aspects of social reality and justifies, legitimates, and renders intelligible decisions about the management of people. Some features of this discursive style are discussed and some implications of this view for the self-understanding and education of psychologists are considered.