Navigating the space between: Reflecting on epistemological struggle and the psychosocial perspective

The articles in this special issue all explore the complex relationship between individuals and their social world, examining the limitations of traditional paradigms. Between them they provide robust critiques of both psychologism and sociologism for failing to fully capture the complex interplay of the social and the psychological, highlighting the need for a more nuanced understanding. In this paper I suggest that engagement with ‘psychosocial perspectives’ that acknowledge the inextricable link between psychic and social realms, can offer this more nuanced understanding of human experience. I examine the development of psychosocial thinking, highlighting the influence of practice, particularly psychiatry and psychoanalysis, in shaping this perspective. The paper explores research methods that draw on diverse theories and practices, including psychosocial interviewing, observational methods, social dreaming and historical methods. The paper concludes by advocating for a critical and nuanced approach to understanding human experience, one that recognizes the profound influence of the ‘social unconscious’ on individual and collective lives.