Psychology: The Hard Truth about a Soft Science

SlapHappy you are right, and I have a theory about it. I was in what I would not hesitate to call the marriage from hell for twenty-six years. The reason I did not divorce him was because of my deep Christian belief that divorce was a sin. At my instigation my husband and I spent literally into the tens of thousands of dollars on Christian therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, etc. [Never once saw a secular therapist due to my belief that only Christians know the truth.] To a man and woman these people made the situation worse. They all advocated ‘better communication’, whereas the root problem had nothing—zero—to do with communication.

Here is a partial list of issues that were never once raised by any of the Christian counselors: sociopathy; addiction-dysfunction; co-dependence, major personality disorders, and the cycle of abuse. All the Christian therapists approached the situation as if two relatively normal people had gotten married and everything would be just peachy if only we would communicate better. They could not have been more misguided if that had been their intention.

I don’t know what they teach at Christian therapist school, but they would do better to stress that not every human being is normal than to put ALL the emphasis on communication. I speak from long, hard experience.

Psychology is a huge and multi-faceted field. There are many psychologists whose entire research programs involves nothing but the empirical, experimental method (but the public isn’t aware of this). And there are others, using only the experimental method, who focus on physiology and it’s role in behavior. The number of psychologists who are strictly arm-chair philosophers for a living are a small minority. Aside from the clinical field (treating patients), most psychologists adhere strictly to the scientific method.

Well stated. As a person with a PhD in this area I consider myself a scientist. I think the author should use the term “commercial mental health” rather than “psychology”. While it is true that some people providing commercial mental health services are psychologists, many have degrees in counseling, education, social work, human services, etc. Many of the figures associated with psychology, such as Freud, are not considered an important part of the discipline today, though I think it’s good for everyone to study his theory for cultural and literary reasons.

Thomas Szasz (Psychiatrist & MD) is my hero.

His many books argue that modern psychologists “medicalize” behaviors and beliefs they don’t agree with, in order to peg differences as “disorders.” An abuse of science, he convincingly argues.

BTW, I’m an atheist, but see nothing wrong with people forming theories about the “first” origin of all life, etc.

Atheists can form strong systematic principles about moral conduct within a society, such as a support of free trade and voluntary (peaceful) conduct, without cloaking it in a context or veneer of an external deity driving things.

There is a large economics literature that supports the idea the ‘free trade’ and voluntary conduct is mutually beneficial for social participants. This has nothing to do with metaphysical issues about the First Cause of all things (God, a deity, or etc). You can leave the latter issue a “blank” {Gee, I don’t know!....} and still accept reciprocity, voluntary association, and free trade, as a morally preferable way to treat others and exist in a society.

In short, you don’t have to be a Marxist, or a Freudian, to have no interest in religious (metaphysical) speculation and discussions.

Just my two cents.

P.S. Yes, I was hugely embarrassed by the release of Ben Stein’s recent movie. Very disappointing, speaking as an atheist... & fellow economist. There is no “EVIDENCE” for intelligent design. It is ASSUMED, as a given. Complexity is not an arguement; how do we KNOW if the live we see IS
“complex”? Complex.. compared to WHAT? It could be simple, or ... complex... we have nothing else TO compare the systems we see TO. To say it is complex, therefore God exists, is assuming things ARE complex. Since it’s all we know, that is simply an assumption.’ {Gee - things sure APPEAR complex.” “How do you know they ARE ‘complex’?” “Because I say so.”)
But if, as Ben Stein claims, people have been persecuted & denied a job, for holding religious beliefs, that should not happen, however.
:)

Over the years I have paid attention to reports of long term studies of the effects of psychological therapies. Without exception people who go to psychologists end up doing worse in life than people with similar problems who don’t seek ‘help’. It’s most striking in prisons where prisoners who don’t go to therapy have a lower recidivism rate than those who do.

Until psychology can show evidence that it’s not harmful I will continue to consider it a con game.

Maybe I can get around to replying more meaningfully later in the week.

Psychology certainly has plenty to hang it’s head in shame over.

However, it’s not all as bad as the article makes it out to be.

Christian Psychology has certainly done a lot to help mangled families get back on track.

Decreasing interpersonal pain and helping build more solid, lasting, durable families is something to be proud of.

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