Klaus F. Riegel and dialectical psychology: in search for the changing individual in a changing society.

When speaking of such terms as « dialectical » or « critical » psychology, one generally first thinks of the names of a number of well-known French, German and Soviet psychologists (for example Sève, Holzkamp, Rubinstejn, Vygotskij). Much less notoriety is enjoyed by the representatives of an influential and well-organised school which originated in the United States under the name of « dialectical psychology ». Klaus F. Riegel can be regarded as the enthusiastic and unusually productive initiator of this school. Its basis was laid in the latter half of the sixties, when a discussion about the foundations of psychology arose in America. Riegel realised the perils of a psychology in danger of losing its ties to a social-historical context. Who was this man and what were his ideas? In order to answer this question, we shall first give a brief sketch of his life, and in doing so present a general introduction to certain concepts. We shall then describe his ideas concerning the history of psychology in relation to social developments. Then the discussion will centre upon his critical remarks on established (developmental) psychological theories, in which we shall look at Riegel's attempts to construct an alternative dialectical paradigm, examining more fully his methodological notions. Finally, through a citation-analysis, we shall underline the importance of Riegel and of American dialectical psychology.