anarchism and psychology

Psychology, being the study of mental processes and behavior, hasn't been fully addressed from an anarchistic perspective. As modern psychology has only developed since the late 1800's (coincidentally, at around the same time that the modern anarchist movement first achieved substantial mindshare), it has gradually developed into a science whose most recent iterations are less interventionist (as a medical/clinical science, although this persists as an older professional outlook) and more observationalist (as a social science).

Anarchism, one could say, has arisen partly out of a psychological background by observing the extremes of human behavior and drive and basing a basic worldview around an opposition to the more authoritarian tendencies exhibited by anyone from a politician to an army force. However, the latter evolution of the anarchist and libertarian approaches have shifted base to a socio-econo-political focus.

Because of this shift, it is hard to identify a properly-anarchistic view - that is, one that favors individuality, individual freedom and the mutual good - of the many types and forms of psychology. Because psychology is increasingly observational and non-participatory, perhaps the first step towards an anarchist approach to psychology would be to ask questions about if the experiments of the psychologists observe the human rights of the individual enough.