A Critique of "The Psychology of the Language Learner: Individual Differences in Second Language Acquisition"

One of the major sources of psychology in the field of teaching English as foreign language in Iranian universities is a book named The Psychology of the Language Learner: Individual Differences in Second Language Acquisition written by Zoltan Dornyei. The book was first published in 2005 and was later revised in 2015 and published by Routledge. This study thus aims to analyze this book critically due to the importance of psychological issues in teaching English as foreign language. The findings suggested that although Dornyei established a coherent framework for his book, he ignored the socio-cultural effects of society on learners’ psychological aspects. Additionally, they were some concepts, including emotional intelligence, which were left untouched in his book. Finally, the philosophical aspects of concepts being discussed within the book were not addressed or even challenged. Generally speaking, the books limited itself to western studies ignored, the social and cultural elements, and avoided challenging the concepts which can limit readers’ understanding.