Limits of Usage of Special Psychological Knowledge in Law

• Published in: Jurisprudencija 2005-01, Vol.74 (66)
• Main Author: Justickis, Viktoras
• Format: Article
• Language: eng ; lit
• ISSN: 1392-6195; 2029-2058

This article is focussed on the problem of application of special psychological knowledge in legislation and executing of law. Our main concern are limits in which scientific psychological knowledge can be used for needs of law application. In great details we investigated problems broadly discussed in a special literature, that in opinions of many authors, there are substantially narrow possibilities to use psychology in solution of legal problems. The majority of these problems are related to essential difference in the very nature of both sciencies. We show that in fact all these differences do not preclude cooperation between psychology and law and use of psychologic knowledge in law. These differences actually are related to different position of each science in their relationship. It is shown that in fact psychological knowledge is broadly used in law. However, it is so called "practical psychological knowledge". The real problem is transformation of common sense psychological pastulates, widely used in law, into scientivic psychological knowledge. We investigated conditions under which such transitions occures and stages through which such development proceeds. It is shown that interconnection between law and psychology is very different on each of these stages. On the first stage psychological knowledge is applied at least. On the last one, we have most intensive application of special psychological knowledge.