Functions of knowledge in psychology

It is suggested that psychological knowledge serves three functions according to which subsystems of psychology can be derived: SCIENTIA provides an analytic account of parts of psychological objects or events, and is nourished by an implicit Utopia to produce "better" and cumulative knowledge; CULTURA produces psychological meanings for individuals, communities, and cultures, and is nourished by an implicit Utopia to improve the human condition; and CRITICA involves the deconstruction, reconstruction, and construction of psychological knowledge, and is nourished by a Utopia to change psychological knowledge practices. It is argued, from a historical and theoretical point of view, that the proposed system can be used as a heuristic tool for understanding psychologyʹs complexity. Consequences for accepting or rejecting an equilibrium among the different knowledge functions are discussed.