Teorie e paradigmi in psicologia. Riflessioni sulle diverse possibilità di dialogo tra differenti teorie

Theories and paradigms in psychology. Some remarks on the possibility of dialog among different theories Over the last fifty years we have witnessed the birth, within psychology, of different concepts, aimed at directing attention to how the individual develops and applies the knowledge to his own interiority and to that of others. At least, two of these concepts were greeted in time as representing the advent of a new paradigm in the sense of Kuhn’s theory on science revolutions. If this were true, it would support the hypothesis that in the world of psychology could coexist, unlike that of physic sciences, theories from different paradigms. In reality, however, the most "popular" option in the psychological world is to consider the various psychological theories as belonging to the same paradigm. We present an example from Jungian literature in order to reflect on the advantages and disadvantages of these options. Parole chiave: paradigma, teoria, empatia, intelligenza emotiva, teoria della mente, funzione riflessiva. Key words: paradigm, theory, empathy, emotional intelligence, theory of mind, reflective function.