Actual Tendencies of The Methodology of The History of Psychology in Light of the Philosophic and Methodological Problems of Historiography

The article examines the features of the development of the history of psychology in light of the general trends in the development of historiography. The characteristics of historical knowledge as a whole are discussed, debated, and the problematic points in the development of historical science are highlighted. Questions are raised concerning the relationship between the history of science, in particular, the history of psychology and history as a science in general. Based on the material of domestic and foreign sources on the history of the development of historical science, the main trends of history as a branch of scientific knowledge are provided, as well as its features in view of the influence of postmodern trends, such as criticism of the historicist approach, rejection of the idea of the direction of the historical process, actualization of the ideas of historical relativism and the problem of correlating historical fact and its representation, a consequence of the “linguistic turn”. It is shown that the development of the history of psychology mainly occurs in accordance with trends in the development of historical science. There is a turn in the understanding and conceptualization of historical experience and historical fact and there is an awareness of the need to revise the boundaries of the subject of study and the focus of research, a gradual rejection of positivist tendencies and revolution in relation to the text as historical material. The article highlights the specific features of the history of psychology as a result of its integration into psychological science and the characteristics of the scientific community of historians of psychology. Also, due to the analysis of the trends in the development of Russian psychological science, it is indicated that the general direction of the nearest development both for the historical and psychological sciences, and for the history of psychology, is the awareness of the need to conceptualize such a phenomenon as context. Also, despite the dominance of positivist tendencies in Russian psychology, expressed first of all in the desire to search for patterns of the historical process (in this case, the process of development of psychological scientific knowledge), shifts were noted in understanding the need to expand the subject of research and search for new philosophical and methodological grounds.

Ankersmit, F.R. (1989). The Reality Effect in the Writing of History: The dynamics of historiographical topology. Noord-Hollandsche, Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen.