Metatheory as a Conceptual Approach

The field of psychology has always been full of controversy. Historically, the influence of philosophical and religious assumptions has been contentious, and each generation criticises the last for their ignorant acceptance of untested or senseless presuppositions. Each generation’s thinking has been limited by the latest paradigm, and if we were take a broad historical view of science, progress in psychological thought would seem to be a matter of advancing paradigms rather than the advancement of knowledge. But scientists are slow to accept new paradigms for a variety of reasons; some more admirable than others. The greater the advancement of knowledge within a certain paradigm, the more difficult it is to make a change. And there’s always the possibility that the current paradigm is ‘correct’, if only it were given a chance to prove itself.

Of course, the post-moderns of our generation are aware of these trends, and in response to dissatisfaction with the current paradigm, there have been countless attempts to shift paradigms with varying, yet generally minimal success. One of the strongest paradigm shifts currently taking place currently is what may be collectively referred to as integrationism. Integrationism is a reaction to reductionism and eclecticism, whereby several reductionist approaches are integrated in an attempt to maintain their value whilst appreciating their interconnectedness. This attempt is perhaps the ‘holy grail’ of the current psychological paradigm.

The problem with this approach is obvious: some theories are simply incompatible. Try mixing neurobiology, psychoanalysis, and behaviourism; it won't work. Integrationsim has also made its way into Christian counselling, with various attempts to integrate secular and biblical counselling. Once again, the conflicting ideas make the end result like a piece of patchwork. An alternative to integration is using current approaches purely as information that may be used to inform a more comprehensive single theory. Such a theory may therefore be informed by these approaches, and benefit from the wisdom they have generated. This approach will be referred to here as Metatheory.