Ecosystemic Psychology

Ecosystemic Psychology |

PYC 4808 Assignment 01 |

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Palesa Motsa |

Student nr: 50466119 |

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| Definition | Example |

Epistemology | Epistemology is the study of the grounds of knowledge; it deals with the way people construct what they believe as “truth” (Hook, 2004).Auerswald (1985, p.2) defined epistemology as “a set of immanent rules used in thought by large groups of people to define reality” (As cited in Snyders & du Preez, 2011). | An example of epistemology could be truth it’s self. How do we know that something is true? Do we have to experience it in order for us to conclude that it is true? Or is truth determined by the specific context/ situation which a person may be in? E.g. A first year Psychology student who is introduced to the ideologies of mainstream psychology may be unaware that psychology is not simply a neutral and objective reflection of how the world is. Concerned with the kind of knowledge that psychologists produce, the kinds of knowledge that are ideological in as much as they prioritise certain views of the world over others (prioritisation of the individual over social),in that they may marginalize certain voices, gloss over certain kinds of social contradiction and ultimately side with larger structures of power (Hook, 2004).Therefore, Psychological knowledge may be viewed as a kind of knowledge that is produced by a certain group (psychologists), in certain ways and for certain interests (Hook, 2004). |

Theory | A theory may be defined as a set of statements or principles devised to explain a group of facts or phenomena, especially one that has been repeatedly tested or is widely accepted and can be used to make predictions about natural phenomena (The Free Dictionary, 2009). In psychology, theories are used to provide a model for understanding human thoughts, emotions and behaviours (Snyders & du Preez, 2011). | One of the “well-known” theories in psychology is Erikson’s theory of psychosocial...