The Dialectic as a Tool for Teaching Psychology

Abstract

In this article, I present dialectical thinking as a useful tool in teaching psychology. The basic notion of dialectical thinking is that ideas evolve in a cycle, by which the statement of an idea—the thesis—is followed by the statement of a seemingly contrary or contradictory idea—the antithesis—that is in turn followed by a synthesis that incorporates the best elements of both of the original ideas. I also contrast the dialectical model for teaching about the history of psychology with the more traditional model.