Twenty-second International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities

Abstract

In an increasingly complex world with increasingly complex problems, scholars are recognizing the importance of working across disciplinary boundaries. The “psychological humanities” is a new field of study which seeks to incorporate the humanities in the study of psychology. The term is meant as a juxtaposition to the phrase “psychological sciences”, and it is a critique of the scientific perspective embraced by psychology, which, while valuable, leaves out dimensions of human experience, dimensions that the humanities are more adept at addressing. While psychology and the humanities are both meant to be the study of humanity, the human often seems buried in psychological research. Psychology has become the study of variables as opposed to the study of humans. The “psychological humanities” seeks to affirm the human by looking to the humanities for ways in which to address psychosocial issues. After exploring this new field of study, I will home in on my own interdisciplinary research into narrative meaning making in the aftermath of an adverse event. Narrative is an example of a concept traveling from the humanities into other fields, including psychology, although I argue that there is a long way still to go in incorporating narrative into psychology. I end by suggesting that an increasing exchange of ideas between the humanities and psychology would benefit both. Psychological ideas and research can provide avenues for new directions in the humanities. At the intersection of psychology and the humanities, there is an arena for broadening our understanding of the human.