Uniqueness and Generalization in Organizational Psychology: Research as a Relational Practice

Frontiers in Psychology

Silvia Ivaldi¹  Giuseppe Scaratti² 

[1] Department of Human and Social Sciences, University of Bergamo, Bergamo, Italy;Department of Psychology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Milano, Italy;

关键词: situated and relational research;    epistemology;    ontology;    gnoseology;    methodology;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyg.2021.638240

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

The paper addresses the epistemological and theoretical assumptions that underpin the concept of Work and Organizational Psychology as idiographic, situated, and transformative social science. Positioning the connection between uniqueness and generalization inside the debate around organization studies as applied approaches, the contribution highlights the ontological, gnoseological, and methodological implications at stake. The use of practical instead of scientific rationality is explored, through the perspective of a hermeneutic lens, underlining the main features connected to the adoption of an epistemology of practice. Specifically, the contribution depicts the configuration of the applied research as a relational practice, embedded in the unfolding process of generating knowledge dealing with concrete social contexts and particular social objects. The discussion of a case study regarding a field research project allows one to point out challenges and constraints connected to the enactment of the research process as a social accomplishment.

【 授权许可】

CC BY