Critique

Abstract

The preceding discussion (Strickland et al., 1976) occurred during a session of the conference, Research Paradigms and Priorities, but not as a preplanned agenda item on the program; rather, it sprang up autogénéré from the floor. While the editors have suggested that the transcript will speak saliently for itself to readers who were not present, I have taken the position that for the full meaning and impact to be transmitted, an attempt should be made to describe both the social context of the original discussion, and the structure of the group that produced it. Thus it will be argued that the power relationships among the discussion group members themselves had a strong influence on the content and direction of the discussion, and that it may prove informative to attempt to analyze the “power structure” of the discussion on the “power structure” of social psychology.

This article was written while the author was at the Laboratoire de Psychologie Sociale (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique), Université Paris VII, Paris, France. The author wishes to thank Erika Apfelbaum and Lloyd Strickland for extensive comments on earlier drafts. Their encouragements, as well as those of Ken and Mary Gergen, and colleagues at University of Guelph and Laboratoire de Psychologie Sociale are appreciated. As well, a joint grant from the Canada Council and le Ministère des Affaires Etrangères de France aided the writing.