By Oskar Pineño
In this article, I show my personal opinion on some of the problems (here treated as hell) of those who, from my point of view, suffers psychology.
is merely exercising critical (and self) to shake the demons from my conscience. It is also to think seriously about what goes wrong in our science of psychology and suggests that this situation can not improve while we do not move our slowness to change. We need to seek the reader's knowing smile and why not, to remove the entrails of whom see identified in any of the four demons discussed here. It is, in short, to purge some of our sins through reflection and irony.
Abductions, UFOs that are covered by hundreds of shocked spectators, government conspiracies to hide evidence of the existence of extraterrestrial life, alien signs in fields in England, a mysterious face that appears in a photograph of the Martian surface ... these issues, among many others, are what is Carl Sagan in his book "The Demon-Haunted World. Science as a light in the darkness." In this book, Sagan (1934-1996), brilliant scientist and broadcaster, attacking one by one these arguments from skeptical view, inherent in any good scientist. For a man who wanted to believe in the existence of extraterrestrial life (actively involved in defending the SETI project, which he discusses in his novel "Contact"), any argument based on popular quackery strongly deserved to be refuted. Carl Sagan
thrusts in their personal demons in the world, did not hesitate Sagan to resort to psychological explanations to refute each and every one of these arguments. The man, from his point of view, has always had a need to believe in the paranormal. Just as our ancestors sought the intervention of spirits of various kinds to explain certain phenomena in our current technological society these spirits do not have much room, so we have replaced by aliens. These beliefs and expectations influence, according to Sagan, basic psychological processes such as perception (the lights you see on the horizon may not come from a UFO, but are so similar to that UFO that we are seeing ...) and memory (that vivid dream in which things we discussed almond eyes As we lay naked on an operating table becomes a vague memory of something that could have happened.)
In short, Sagan was able to answer correctly all those topics, from popular belief, invading their precious object of scientific study: cosmology. Unfortunately, in psychology, a discipline where superstition and obscurantism far outweigh the work of scientists, lack of personality with the talent and energy of Sagan to attack our own demons. A very modest, it is my intention in this article mention what, in my point of view, some of the demons' own psychology.
Devil # 1. Anyone can comment on psychology. Certain professor rightly commented in one of my courses as an undergraduate student who, while no one would dare challenge a physicist for an explanation of elasticity of materials, any explanation by a psychologist can have immediate reply from anyone. In principle, we all have a mind, which belongs exclusively to each one of us and we have (allegedly) a unique knowledge. That is why everyone is qualified to comment on psychology. The premise is that every opinion is equally valid view to offer a plausible explanation of human behavior. However, we are all human beings, but not all show any desire to defend our own biological theories (except the creationists, who refute the evolutionary biologists Bible in hand, do not miss this website on scientific creationism has no waste-). Something has, therefore, psychology who have no other branches of science. Something that makes it flexible enough to fit into a heated discussion over coffee.
Often, psychology is more like a discussion forum where everything has a place than a rigorous scientific study area. The problem is not whether you can comment on psychology ... of course you can! Moreover, opinion and hear others' opinions, share information and viewpoints and enriching activities ... are essential for the scientists themselves. The problem therefore is not in the view show, but whether it has the support of empirical evidence. And here we must distinguish between those who believe without any knowledge about psychology, but without further claim that participate in a discussion with friends (something harmless), and those who present themselves as endowed with a deep scientific knowledge and that, however, are but mountebanks (something potentially dangerous.) These false scientists are vermin that feed on science for their own purposes. And do not hesitate to think that his main purpose will be to get money to anyone or that you have been gullible enough / to to fall into their trap. These people try to make you buy self-help books or those ridiculous subliminal programming CDs, attend their workshops on bioenergy absurd, or buy fabulous minerals that will destroy all your problems (hopefully rub off as easy as a gem) .
You are free to decide what information you prefer, a scientist or an unscrupulous charlatan. No But stop and think before you act: when you have a physical ailment, "go to the doctor of their outpatient or hospital or a voodoo healer?
Demon # 2. Psychology "real" does not sell. Unfortunately for those who try to do a scientific psychology, our work does not sell. You go to the section of psychology at a large bookstore and assists with a parade of horror books that should be in the People section Trickery. Books that promise to improve your memory, your social life and sexual, psychological testing books that offer only overcome by the Super-Pop and New-Vale. You try to find a book fast saccades psychology text, and nothing. Finally, frustrated, we went to the clerk and she admits that no, that book must be ordered from the publisher and will arrive at the best, in a few days.
I tried to find some books on psychology, books that are classics in our area for its high scientific quality, and many of them are out of print. May be purchased at the time by those strange beings who were university professors at the time of its first edition, you can even advise you or impose their students as part of the course. But those books were not successful enough to ensure their reissue (the publishers are in the first instance, businesses and, as such, looking to sell your product, the dissemination of knowledge is a side effect). Now, one can find some of these animals awaiting a new owner in the secondary market from Amazon or Half-Ebay, for outrageous prices (some of them for being too cheap, others to reach unaffordable prices.) But the chatter is in good shape on the shelves of bookstores. Sometimes these books do not reach even to the shelf, are stacked on the floor because people are contested with agitation of one who thinks he knows what you buy. The only difference between some books on self help and "The Da Vinci Code" is that Dan Brown, author of the latter, was honest enough to make it clear that his book is a work of fiction.
However, even today science is a small place on the shelves of some libraries. And perhaps this is its last stronghold, because in the media it is even more complicated. You do not need more than five minutes to understand that television is not going to make an excessive effort to disseminate scientific knowledge.
we are faced with a television that far from helping the scientific community, spreading pseudoscience with a total lack of scruples. It does so because, unlike that science, pseudoscience sell (or so they say the ratings.) And worst of all is that no longer surprises us.
Demon # 3. Pseudo-self in psychology. The third demon of psychology is perhaps the most dangerous of the set so far. Psychology is, as we know it today, mostly unscientific. I am referring to many of the branches of this area of \u200b\u200bstudy that are taught in regular university courses, especially in the so-called "summer." When a psychology student thinks about his own career, one can see that much of the agenda needed to obtain a bachelor's degree, is full of courses infumables that do not require anything other than an act of faith. Freud and his psychoanalytic school is something certainly irritating to anyone with a scientific view of psychology (see articles by Fernando Blanco on this website), but not all (personally, I never much convinced of the Gestalt technique empty chair). However, the effect on most students seem to be the opposite. It is alarming to see how these materials become the favorite of aspiring psychologists while science subjects (usually basic processes and psychobiology) generated a great revulsion among most people.
The reason for the frustration of students of psychology to the scientific subjects is linked to the previous demons: the students complain that these materials are hard and require more than a mere recording of the contents. Require critical thinking and, yes, this is something for which we have not been prepared properly. Part of the responsibility of this difficulty digesting the materials science of psychology is in the education system itself, which promotes the uncritical absorption of content, emphasizing that no matter where it comes from a theory (or if it is still under evaluation or incluso si fue sustituida siglos atrás por otra más completa y precisa). Lo que importa es memorizar lo que haga falta para aprobar la asignatura. En consecuencia, cuando un alumno se encuentra posteriormente ante un temario en el que no existen verdades absolutas, sino evidencias experimentales y teorías contradictorias, reina el desconcierto. Como resultado, el estudiante se aferra a aquellas ramas de la psicología que producen una mayor sensación de estabilidad y acercamiento a la verdad. Y, de este modo, la línea que separa al licenciado en psicología del pseudocientífico se va tornando difusa.
Demonio #4. Somos nuestro mayor enemigo. Sí, señores, nosotros mismos (los que hacemos psicología científica) are our greatest enemy. This is our fourth demon in psychology. What we are because, in our great desire to be competitive and fit into the competitive job market (find our own position as a teacher, for example), blinded us to launch the largest number of publications and conference presentations. And in this way desperate to find our place in academia forget why we do science. This is science because we like because we recreate, because we complete as people. (I can summarize this idea by mentioning one of my favorite quotes from Richard Feynman "Science is like sex: sometimes something useful happens, but that's not why we do it".)
science
And also because we believe that the general public has a right to know how our world. Our ultimate duty is to provide a small brush to the canvas on which reproduce the mechanisms of all that surrounds us, including ourselves. Our products are designed solely to provide new knowledge, without any need for such knowledge has a final application in the real world (at least, this is not our goal as scientists, technologists is). However, we also have the option and the obligation to reach people with our knowledge, to disseminate our science, making it understandable without, therefore, that adulterate it to make it more attractive. While we, scientists, we remain indifferent to the advance of pseudoscience, we will be betraying the ultimate reason why we dedicate one of the finest professions.
Pandemonium. In my personal exorcism, I have tried four of the demons from my point of view, have taken the soul of our psychological science. There are many, many more. Maybe I should face them in a sequel. At the moment I think, although I have not destroyed any of the four demons here treated, at least I have identified. Agree with me those who practice psychotherapy as the first step is to recognize the existence of a problem and identify its nature. Now we have a long way to go, to achieve complete eradication of our ills.
Source:
Pineño, O. (2004). Psychology and his demons. Http://www.psicoteca.com
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