A neurophenomenological theory of the three worlds

The Theory of the Three Worlds (TTW) was introduced by Popper and Eccles in 1977 in the attempt to overcome the narrow limits of materialism and determinism in the comprehension of mind–brain and inner–outer world relationships. TTW involved huge epistemological implications and raised strong criticism. Here, a new neurophenomenological version of the TTW is introduced, meeting previous criticism to the TTW. Hopefully, it may be a step toward comprehension of the mind–brain–world relationship.

Epistemic pluralism and the justification of conceptual strategies in science

In recent years, epistemic pluralism has received considerable endorsement as an approach to constructing scientific explanations and pursuing empirical research programs. In this article, we briefly discuss the advantages of an epistemically pluralist approach before outlining our own model of epistemic pluralism. The model we present emphasizes the specific considerations that occur when determining and justifying the selection of conceptual strategies and how conceptual strategies work together to provide task-relevant insights. By clarifying these constraint relationships, we highlight the kinds of systematic considerations that must be taken into account when selecting conceptual strategies for research tasks. We present a case study based on gang research to demonstrate how such considerations occur and the epistemic and pragmatic benefits of doing so.

Contradictory regimes of practice: Constructs and discourses in an open prison

Using concepts from Kelly and Foucault, analysis of interviews in the mid-1990s with staff in an English open prison explores how contrasting discourses are reconciled. Two superficially antagonistic discursive formations within prison practice are described: a discourse of discipline/control and an ethic of reform and reclaiming “spoiled” criminals for good and productive life. While rhetorically at odds, they are reconciled in the working practices of prison staff, with discipline as a necessary precondition for reform. The open prisons stand for the rehabilitative ethic and the staff are proud of their work, but by the 1990s prison policy had begun to dissociate itself from promises of reform, in response to research conclusions that residential care was ineffective. This case study shows how discourses survive when they are disowned by their “owners.” The research has wider implications for an understanding of hierarchical relationships between discourses and construct-sets that prescribe different practices.

The importance of cultural psychological perspectives in pain research: Towards the palliation of Cartesian anxiety

Despite widespread awareness of the psychological dimensions of pain, researchers often and easily slip into essentializing understandings that treat pain as a purely physiological experience that can be isolated within experimental research. This drive towards scientific objectivity, while at times of tremendous utility, can also limit our understanding of pain to reductionistic conceptualizations that in effect deny the subjective and even the psychological dimensions of pain. In other words, researchers often attempt to understand pain by means of empirical, scientific explanations, while being simultaneously aware that such an approach cannot grasp the phenomenon in its entirety. This yearning for deeper, ontological understanding in a world that admits of only empirical, scientific explanations has been called Cartesian anxiety. In the current study, it is argued that cultural psychology can help to alleviate this Cartesian anxiety by helping us to appreciate the psychological aspects of pain as dynamic processes of meaning making.

Translating science into practice in clinical psychology: A reformulation of the evidence-based practice inquiry model

The model of evidence-based practice (EBP) directs clinicians to integrate the best available research evidence, clinical expertise, client preferences and values, and social and cultural factors in the assessment and treatment of psychological problems. Despite its many strengths, the five-step inquiry component of the EBP model suffers from several conceptual and practical problems that make it difficult to implement in practice. In this article, we first outline the transdisciplinary EBP model. Second, several criticisms of the overall EBP model are outlined and briefly discussed. Third, five pressing problems in the inquiry component of the EBP model are identified: (a) information overload, (b) a focus on questions rather than tasks, (c) neglect of theory, (d) difficulty dealing with conflicting evidence, and (e) an oversimplified view of the role of values in research and practice. Fourth, we suggest ways of modifying the inquiry part of the model to address these problems.