The Malaise of Modern Psychology

ABSTRACT

Modern psychology may be traced to Thomas Hobbes, who postulated the primacy of the nonrational in human behavior. Hobbes's reductionism entailed moral relativism, a doctrine that permeates contemporary psychology. The primacy of the nonrational is evident not only in the psychoanalytical, behavioral, and biomedical models of psychopathology, but even in cognitive psychology. In this article, the epistemological and societal consequences of psychological reductionism are explored, using logical argumentation and sociological data. A thought experiment, supported by empirical evidence, is then presented that affirms the primacy of the intellect vis-à-vis the emotions.