This volume presents a carefully reasoned, rigorous critique of mainline academic psychology. From the professional beginnings of their discipline, contend the authors, American psychologists have made two promises: that psychology would be treated as a natural science and that its application to social--mainly educational--reform would be as effective as that of the more physical sciences to technological change. Underlying these promises is the "liberal consensus," the belief that social problems are to be solved by improvements in educational methods. Put to the test during the...