Introduction
A worldview consists of a generic set of presuppositions and about the fundamental nature of the physical and social world. At its most basic level, a worldview serves as a kind of organizing structure. The concept of worldview is founded on the epistemological principle that observation of the physical and social world is a mediated rather than direct process. From this view, understanding does not occur by fixing the spotlight of attention onto a prestructured reality. Instead, observation proceeds as the active process of interpreting and organizing the world in terms of some sort of already existing system or conceptual framework. Without such existing frameworks, observation is simply unintelligible.
Definition
A worldview consists of a comprehensive set of philosophical presuppositions, beliefs, and values about the nature of physical and social world. The term worldviewis used to refer to at least four different types of global conceptual systems. These include...
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References
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Online Resources
Beyond Intractability. Retrieved September 7, 2012, from http://www.beyondintractability.org
A website devoted to transcending conflict among competing perspectives of all sorts, including worldviews. Contains search engine and a variety of other resources.
Gorton, W. A. (2010). Philosophy of science. Internet encyclopedia of philosophy. Retrieved September 7, 2012, from www.iep.utm.edu/soc-sci
An excellent overview to the philosophy of science, covering such topics as naturalism, descriptivism, hermeneutics, each of which bears on the issue of the role of pre-theoretical paradigms and worldviews in scientific inquiry.
Harrell, B. J. (n.d.) Stephen C. Pepper. Retrieved September 7, 2012, from http://people.sunyit.edu/∼harrell/Pepper/Index.htm
A website devoted to the works of Stephen C. Pepper, author of World Hypotheses (1942, Berkeley, CA: University of California Press).
Task Force on Indigenous Psychology, Division 32 (Society for Humanistic Psychology, APA). Retrieved September 7, 2012, from www.indigenouspsych.org/
Provides information, discussions, news, resources and links related to indigenous psychology. Also contains Membership Directory of the Task Force.
Cox, C., & Arndt, J. (2006). Terror management theory. Retrieved September 7, 2012, from www.tmt.missouri.edu
Provides a suite of resources related to Terror Management theory, which makes broad use of the concepts of worldview and world view threat. Website contains overview of theory, publication list, researchers and collaborators, and links related to Terror Management Theory.
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Mascolo, M. (2014). Worldview. In: Teo, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Critical Psychology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5583-7_480
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5583-7_480
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