The `crisis' sometimes mentioned in reflexive social psychology texts of the past three decades frames contemporary writing about disciplinary practices. This paper analyses some texts of social psychology's `crisis' as part of the linguistic resources which both enable and constrain contemporary social constructionist texts. Examples of texts which diagnose the `crisis' differently are read. The readings identify particular tropes which signal nostalgic and critical relationships to psychology's traditional `scientific' practices. Three characteristics of the `crisis' literature influencing contemporary social constructionist writing are suggested: multiple and often diverse uses of the term `history'; the marking of disciplinary boundaries and arguments for particular disciplinary alliances; continuing concern with the subject/object relationship.
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