Humanistic Political Science, or Humanistic Psychology meets Political Science Cover Image

Humanistyczna nauka o polityce, czyli o spotkaniu psychologii humanistycznej i politologii
Humanistic Political Science, or Humanistic Psychology meets Political Science

Author(s): Piotr Obacz
Subject(s): Sociology
Published by: Instytut Stosowanych Nauk Społecznych Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: humanistic political science; humanistic psychology; political science; meeting

Summary/Abstract: The article reviews an encounter between scientific disciplines: political science and humanistic psychology (the psychological approach), resulting above all in the two disciplines providing mutual inspiration. Activities undertaken by their American representatives – this paper pertains to the conditions of American social sciences – aimed to create a ‘humanistic political science’. Their goal was to infuse the main assumptions, principles and values into the discipline of political science and thus create a new and effective research perspective. Although the collaboration between political scientists and humanistic psychologists was providing interesting results, it turned out to be short-lived. The meeting was well organised and promising, but in the end the project of creating a ‘humanistic political science’ was not completed; aside from certain, notable exceptions, the researchers lacked the consistency to make full use of the potential in the new form of political science. The purpose of this paper is to elucidate the history of relations between political science and humanistic psychology within the context of American social sciences, where such collaboration took place, and to present their collective output. In reference to representative literature, the main research directions of ‘humanistic political science’ have been reconstructed. The results of the encounter between political science and humanistic psychology are subjected to a critical appraisal.

  • Issue Year: 2018
  • Issue No: 25 (2)
  • Page Range: 73-86
  • Page Count: 14
  • Language: Polish