Psychology without speech?

Abstract

This article argues that psychology, influenced by cognitivism (psychologically) and structuralism (linguistically), has lost the psychology of language, and, therefore, a main topic of psychological research. First we outline how language and speech have been dissolved as subjects of research in psychology, as well as the influence abstractions have in linguistics and what consequences can be drawn from that for psychological research. Then we discuss, to what extent a psychology without language can lead to any gain of knowledge about higher psychological functions. Using examples from textbooks we show, how fragmentary the speechless remainder is and how difficult it will be to deal with such a torso. Secondly we highlight how a systematic reconstruction and integration of the main subjects in psychology can not at all succeed without an understanding of language processes and neither can a psychology of the cultural and social human being.

Keywords

• language psychology
• psycholinguistics
• cultural-historical theory
• speech
• language
• cognition
• communication