The Radical Psychology Network (RadPsyNet) is an organization with the goal of encouraging reform in the field of
psychology. It began in Toronto in 1993 when two dozen people attended a discussion at the
American Psychological Association convention
Convention may refer to:
* Convention (norm), a custom or tradition, a standard of presentation or conduct
** Treaty, an agreement in international law
* Convention (meeting), meeting of a (usually large) group of individuals and/or companies in a ...
entitled "Will Psychology Pay Attention to its Own Radical Critics?"
Today the group has more than 500 members in over three dozen countries. Members include
psychologist
A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and interpretation of how indi ...
s and others, academics and practitioners, faculty and students,
psychotherapist
Psychotherapy (also psychological therapy, talk therapy, or talking therapy) is the use of psychological methods, particularly when based on regular personal interaction, to help a person change behavior, increase happiness, and overcome pro ...
s and patients. It publishes the online ''Radical Psychology Journal'' and sponsors an active email discussion list.
The aim of the group is to change the ''
status quo
is a Latin phrase meaning the existing state of affairs, particularly with regard to social, political, religious or military issues. In the sociological sense, the ''status quo'' refers to the current state of social structure and/or values. W ...
'' of psychology. Challenging psychology's traditional focus on minor reform, members emphasise enhancing human welfare by working for fundamental social change. They claim that psychology itself has too often oppressed people rather than liberated them and they work to redress this imbalance. In keeping with this aim, RadPsyNet co-founders Dennis Fox and Isaac Prilleltensky co-edited ''Critical Psychology: An Introduction'' in 1997, and many RadPsyNet members are active in academic critical psychology as well as in opposition to
psychological abuse
Psychological abuse, often called emotional abuse, is a form of abuse characterized by a person subjecting or exposing another person to a behavior that may result in psychological trauma, including anxiety, chronic depression, or post-traumatic ...
s.
See also
*
Critical psychology
*
Psychopolitical validity, coined by Isaac Prilleltensky in 2003 as a way to evaluate
Community Psychology research
References
External links
New Ideas and Old Values in PsychotherapyRadical Psychology Network homepage
{{Anti-psychiatry
Anti-psychiatry
Psychology organizations based in the United States
Psychological societies
Criticism of science