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A Net of Psychological Utility Theories

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Book cover Psychological Theories from a Structuralist Point of View

Part of the book series: Recent Research in Psychology ((PSYCHOLOGY))

Abstract

A net of ten psychological utility theories is described in the frame of the structuralist metatheory. The basic and simplest theory element is a “general theory of utility maximizing” which seems to be the core of a whole cluster of psychological theories dealing with learning, attitudes, and achievement motivation. One of the results of the reconstruction is the insight that — contrary to a widespread intuition — theories of achievement motivation cannot be conceived of as specializations of the theory of subjective expected utility. Other results concern the divergence between the theories to be tested and the theories actually being tested, the testability of achievement motivation theories, the “holism” of psychological utility theories, and the nature of the intertheoretical relationships in the social sciences in contrast to those in the natural sciences.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Cologne, Germany

    Ekkehard Stephan

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  1. Ekkehard Stephan
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Psychology, Free University of Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, Berlin 33, D-1000, Germany

    Hans Westmeyer

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© 1989 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Stephan, E. (1989). A Net of Psychological Utility Theories. In: Westmeyer, H. (eds) Psychological Theories from a Structuralist Point of View. Recent Research in Psychology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-84015-9_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-84015-9_4

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-51904-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-84015-9

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