Chapter 2: A Psychology of the Ordinary: A First Theoretical Sketch

In this chapter I aim to delineate a focus on the ordinary as an important concept for a psychology not in the spell of variables. It traces the idea back to the ordinary language philosophers in the mid-20^th century, and its development in Harré and Secord’s classic book on social behaviour and in the ensuing reception of ordinary language philosophy. The chapter ends with an example of two ways of understanding the notion of “other minds” showing that a psychology based on ordinary language philosophy must tie concepts to experiences, as psychological expressions are not only something people live with but live in.