Metapsychology: Revisiting the past, confronting the present, serving the future

Psychology has fallen short in its efforts to accomplish a collaborative mission as a discipline. The hope that Over time some paradigm would bring greater coherence and stability to psychology has not been realized. This author argues that psychologists can benefit from revisiting field theory concepts and exploring the contributions of meta-perspectives. Zn so doing, they would parallel developments in present-day science, more effectively confront current challenges, and serve the future of psychology. A metapsychology known as perceptual psychology, originally articulated by Snygg and Combs (1949, Individual behavior. A new frame of reference for psychology) and grounded in field-theory premises, is provided as an example of an approach which holds new promise in contemporary psychology. (C) 1977 Elsevier Science Ltd.