CHANGES IN MODERN PSYCHOLOGY - A CITATION ANALYSIS OF THE KUHNIAN DISPLACEMENT THESIS

Many psychologists believe a Kuhnian revolution-a competitive event be tween incommensurate paradigms in which a winner displaces losers afte r chaotic upheaval-has occurred in psychology. Cognitive psychology is said to he displacing behavioral psychology and psychoanalysis, but f ew published data support this thesis. Social science citation records from the leading journals in cognitive psychology, behavioral psychol ogy, and psychoanalysis between 1979 and 1988 were analyzed. Results s how an increasing trend for cognitive psychology but also high citatio n rates with no downward trends for behavioral psychology. Citation ra tes for psychoanalysis are not as high, but indications of decline are marginal. These findings do not support the Kuhnian displacement thes is on changes in modern psychology.