Stated much more articulately than I am currently able to state it. Thanks.
Nancy Melucci LBCC -----Original Message----- From: Pollak, Edward (Retired) <epol...@wcupa.edu> To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) <tips@fsulist.frostburg.edu> Sent: Thu, Sep 8, 2011 5:43 am Subject: RE:[tips] Paul Lutus - Psychology is not a science In many ways we have laid ourselves wide open for these charges. 1) APA & the mass media do little to disabuse the masses of the notion that psychology is not primarily a clinical discipline and more importantly 2) we have never tried to disabuse the masses of a basic belief in dualism. Such a belief allows critics to make the obvious criticism that "mental illness is a myth." OF COURSE it's a myth! It can only be true if there is a mind separate from body/brain. For many years I've refused to use the terms, "mental illness" preferring the terms "behavior" or "cognitive disorders". Many texts also do that in chapter titles but in the body of their texts, they revert to a naive dualism. Similarly, too many of my colleagues (especially, but not exclusively, clinical colleagues) insist on talking about mental illness, mind-body healing, etc. They tell their classes (including graduate level classes) things such as e.g., "psychotherapy works best where there is no underlying neurochemical basis." When called on such silliness they hem & haw and say, "well, of course you're technically correct but this is really an applied/clinical course I don't want to confuse them." Until we develop a new language that forever banishes the concept of "mind" without simultaneously banishing the very real internal experiences that the literary metaphor "mind" seeks to explain (as the radical behaviorists did) , psychology will not mature as a science. In fact, we should dispense with the name "psychology" altogether since it implies a study of mind or soul (as distinct from body/brain). Frankly, I think that a name such as "behavioral science," or even "behavioral neuroscience" would better serve our discipline and its future. But if you insist on referring to psychology as the mind or mental processes, don't be so shocked when you get reminded that the "mind and mental processes" are nothing more than convenient literary metaphors or outright myths. Edward I. Pollak, Ph.D. Professor emeritus Department of Psychology West Chester University of Pennsylvania http://home.comcast.net/~epollak/jam.htm Husband, father, grandfather, bluegrass fiddler & biopsychologist............... in approximate order of importance --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: drna...@aol.com. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=12993.aba36cc3760e0b1c6a655f019a68b878&n=T&l=tips&o=12528 (It may be necessary to cut and paste the above URL if the line is broken) or send a blank email to leave-12528-12993.aba36cc3760e0b1c6a655f019a68b...@fsulist.frostburg.edu --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: arch...@jab.org. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=12530 or send a blank email to leave-12530-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
