Document Type : Review Article
Authors
1
Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Tabriz University, Tabriz, Iran
2
M.Sc. Student of General Psychology, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Tabriz University, Tabriz, Iran
Abstract
Objective: To critically examine the control-oriented trajectory within social psychology—characterized by covert influence, behavioral nudging, and digital dark patterns—and propose “Collective Psychology” as an ethical, liberatory corrective that re-centers democratic agency.
Methods: A theoretical-critical inquiry was conducted through narrative review and conceptual analysis of peer-reviewed literature, books, and policy reports from 1960 to 2025. Thematic extraction and contrastive mapping were used to synthesize dominant influence paradigms with critical, liberation, and decolonial psychological traditions.
Results: The synthesized framework comprises five interdependent principles: radical transparency, collective agency, structural healing, participatory praxis, and plural solidarity. Two irreducible paradigmatic contrasts emerged: shifting power from domination to collective capacity, and replacing covert manipulation with critical consciousness and influence literacy. These contrasts redefine psychological intervention from individual behavior modification to structural transformation and co-produced knowledge.
Conclusion: Collective Psychology offers a coherent, principle-driven corrective that redirects psychological praxis away from technocratic control toward transparent, democratic solidarity. The framework provides actionable pathways for health policy, civic engagement, participatory research, and curriculum reform, demonstrating strong potential for culturally grounded adaptation.
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