Which of the following statements are correct?
Options:
(a) Dilthey opposed reductionism
(b) Dilthey opposed psychophysical parallelism
(c) Dilthey rejected the positivistic approaches to experimental psychology
(d) Dilthey rejected the idea of description

Correct option is A

Wilhelm Dilthey, a key figure in hermeneutic psychology and the Geisteswissenschaften tradition, indeed (a) opposed reductionism by arguing that human experience cannot be reduced to physiological or mechanistic explanations; (b) opposed psychophysical parallelism by rejecting the mind-body dualism inherent in such models; and (c) rejected positivistic experimental psychology exemplified by Wundt's approach, advocating instead for understanding (Verstehen) rather than causal explanation. However, statement (d) is incorrect because Dilthey actually championed descriptive psychology as fundamental to understanding lived experience, making description central to his methodology.

Information Booster :
● Wilhelm Dilthey (1833-1911): German philosopher and psychologist who distinguished natural sciences (Naturwissenschaften) from human sciences (Geisteswissenschaften)
● Key opposition: Rejected mechanistic reductionism, positivist methodology, and psychophysical parallelism in favor of holistic understanding
● Verstehen vs. Erklären: Advocated interpretive understanding (Verstehen) of lived experience over causal explanation (Erklären) used in natural sciences
● Descriptive psychology: Dilthey promoted description of mental life as foundational—he did NOT reject description; this was central to his method