"The essays take aim at diverse areas of psychology, arguing for an approach focusing on the social context, often within a social justice framework. A recurring theme is that reductionistic models fail to capture the essence of human thought and behavior because the assumptions made in traditional psychological thinking lead to research methodologies that force measurement into constrained pathways that--the book argues--reflect social constructs rather than fundamentally important human characteristics. This book reflects critical psychology theories, showing little overlap with mainstream, empirical psychological thinking. Those interested in a depicition of the theory of critical psychology rather than an empirical treatment of psychological phenomena will encounter here a wide ranging exploration of the issues. Summing Up: Recommended." -B. C. Beins, Ithaca College, CHOICE"It would appear that recency of research and a wider array of topics separate this book from the others. This book significantly builds on the work of its predecessors. The aim of this edited handbook is to provide a comprehensive overview of critical psychology in many fields in psychology. [...] The contents of this book have much to stir some readers out of their comfort zones, particularly those who have not been introduced to critical psychology. Taken-for-granted perspectives and terminology in psychology are forcefully questioned throughout the book. These include, among many others, personality, emotions, identities, sexuality, health, cognition, power, and education. Through questioning and offering alternatives, this book succeeds in enabling one to reconsider the seemingly obvious in psychology, thus potentially opening creative possibilities for research and practice." -Graham B. Stead, College of Education and Human Services at Cleveland State University, PsycCRITIQUES"Ian Parker boldly states his hopes for The Handbook of Critical Psychology in the introduction: to provide the most thorough account possible of the scope of critical psychology. This ambitious project is tackled admirably." - Tom Payne, The Journal of Critical Psychology, Counselling and Psychotherapy"This handbook does an incredible job of conveying the fundamentals of critical psychology along with an exciting overview of the contemporary scope of this revolutionary approach. Both specialists and students will consider it an essential resource. I will not be surprised if it significantly magnifies the impact of critical psychology around the world.'– Tod Sloan, Lewis and Clark College, USA"A critical engagement with key topics in psychology with reference to critical debates across the field. A crucial resource for all psychology students."– Valerie Walkerdine, School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University, UK"Parker’s Handbook of Critical Psychology is in one sense a book committed to overcoming the alienated character of modular work in the social sciences. By bringing together an assemblage of perspectives from remote disciplinary groupings, the compendium exemplifies an intellectual orientation that rejects the condition of functional separateness in the universe of academic knowledge production. Its declared target is the gamut of ideas, frameworks and activities which belong to mainstream "psychology" – as a (notoriously venal) academic discipline, (sometimes dehumanizing) professional practice, and (unavoidably value-laden) every day, commonsensical resource. And indeed, what emerges from the combined efforts of its contributors is nothing less than a bold and extensive critique, and sometimes revision, of the discipline on multiple fronts."– Raphael Mackintosh, Psychology in Society
