Is the habitus concept psychological? Pierre Bourdieu and interpretative psychology

Abstract

This article shows that Pierre Bourdieu’s habitus concept provides psychological value in that it helps to define the subject matter of psychology itself. This position can be interpreted as a contrary position to the claim of Zander (2010) that the habitus concept needs to be substantiated psychologically. To explore our claim, the habitus concept is outlined and situated within the framework of interpretative psychology (verstehende Psychologie). Subsequently, questions are outlined which Bourdieu answered only unsystematically but which might inspire psychological research. Finally, it is shown that the habitus concept – as it points out that there are supraindividual and apersonal patterns of thinking and acting – is the »mediator« between social relations and social practice. Hence, a psychological contribution to social inequality research can be put forward.