Psychology as Metaphor

Interdisciplinary in its approach, Psychology as Metaphor explores how rhetoric is used in the construction of psychological texts, and examines the importance of language in psychological theorizing. Soyland scrutinizes a massive range of traditional psychological theory and traces such key theoretical issues as the distinction between philosophy and rhetoric, the principle of symmetry in the analysis of scientific texts, theories of metaphor and language, and future directions for research in the study of scientific rhetoric. This theoretical breadth is matched by Soyland′s wide-ranging treatment of key thinkers in the history of psychology, including Darwin, Freud, Piaget, Skinner, and Lashley. Psychology as Metaphor is an elegant, lucidly argued book that will interest students and scholars in psychology, sociology, and philosophy. "With scholarly insight and a deft sense of irony, John Soyland shows the importance of language in psychological theorizing. Time and again, he draws the reader′s attention to an unnoticed phrase or metaphor, and suddenly, a whole theoretical perspective looks different. This is a book to be savored." --Michael Billig, Loughborough University