Pragmatic nihilism: how a theory of nothing can help health psychology to progress

Abstract

Health psychology aims to explain and change a wide variety of behaviors, and to this end has developed a plethora of theories. Several attempts have been undertaken to build integrative theories, and some even strive for a Theory of Everything. We argue against these efforts, arguing that instead, adopting a pragmatically nihilistic stance is more fruitful. Pragmatic Nihilism holds that psychological variables, those defined in our health psychology theories, do not exist as such in our minds. This is not seen as discouraging, because theories contain definitions and guidelines for the operationalisation of those variables, and if these operationalisations have predictive value, the theory is useful regardless of whether the postulated variables exist as such. Pragmatic Nihilism further holds that each operationalisation represents a cross-section of a variety of dimensions, such as behavior and duration, but most importantly, psychological aggregation level. Pragmatic nihilism holds that any operationalisation entails a number of implicit or explicit choices regarding these dimensions. Pragmatic Nihilism, specifically the assumptions that psychological variables as such do not exist in our minds, that therefore, operationalisations are crucial, and that these operationalisations entail choices regarding a variety of dimensions, has a number of implications. One is that it provides a foundation for integrating theories, more flexible than what integrative theories can provide, and more practical than what a theory of everything can provide. Another is that it emphasizes the importance of our operationalisations, underlining the importance of investing in the careful development of our measurement instruments.