Prospects for integration of social and clinical-psychological conceptual systems for elaboration of systematical cultural-historical research

Abstract

System cultural-historical analysis of social phenomena and examination of social implications and basic social structures in general clinical psychological works are still underrepresented in modern psychology. Fundamental undertakings of Russian cultural-historical psychology did not gain development, not least because the required methodology was not elaborated either. The article explores conceptual systems integrating social psychology, developmental and clinical psychology and their methodologies, which are important for advance developments in communication research, research of normal and abnormal self-awareness, etc. While examining clinical knowledge about personality along with cultural-historical conditions of its shaping, we discover new social-cultural dynamics of its shaping. In this context, the article analyzes major role that traumatizing experience and its comprehension play for development of new forms of psychological knowledge and of sociality, including sociality of the inner world, world of self-awareness. Based on the analysis of development of clinical-psychological knowledge, the article discusses the perspectives for construction of cultural-historical research at the intersection of social, developmental and clinical psychology, that would significantly raise level and quality of psychological research. The contributing factors for development of such a research are: 1) analysis of new forms of sociality both in the theoretical conceptions and organizational practice of psychological research; 2) combination of different methods and tools (including objective, phenomenological, dialogical-hermeneutical, etc.) for examination of cultural-historical objects as psychological theory, personality, peculiarities of psychological disorder and patient’s inner world. The article concludes with perspectives of further development of cultural-historical research based on the experience of its concrete realization performed by the authors. That could lead to shaping of complex, but methodologically transparent technology for its realization.