50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology

by Joye C. Anestis

Here at PBB, we are passionately interested in dispelling commonly held myths about clinical psychology.  Previous myths that have been tackled by Mike and I include:

• being a victim of childhood sexual abuse increases the likelihood of one becoming a sexual abuser  
• assessing suicide risk causes individuals to become suicidal
• individuals with depression develop psychological scars which leave them vulnerable to future recurrences
• therapeutic alliance is all that matters in generating good treatment outcomes
• all treatments are equally effective for all mental illnesses (the dodo bird hypothesis)
• self-injury is always an attempt to manipulate others

Many of these myths are propagated by popular television shows (I love Law & Order: SVU as much as the next person but their storylines often feature incorrect assumptions about mental health), sensationalized news reports, and celebrity hype (the recent panic of the alleged "increase" in autism comes to mind from these last two).  Once the media grabs hold of one of these myths, it becomes increasingly difficult to provide convincing counterarguments.  A new book, however, has been published that joins in our fight to spread accurate information about psychology to the public.  Titled 50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology: Shattering Widespread Misconceptions about Human Behavior, the text covers multiple fields of psychology, discussing myths about the brain and perception, development and aging, memory, intelligence and learning, consciousness, emotion and motivation, interpersonal behavior, personality, mental illness, psychology and law, and psychological treatment.  Click here for the table of contents, author information, and excerpts.  If you are familiar with other books by the same authors (of the authors, I've only read books by Scott Lilienfeld), you know that the writing style is incredibly engaging and easy-to-read, making the book accessible to those with little knowledge of psychology and well as those with considerable education in the field.  And, to be honest, even when you've spent your life in psychology, you may still believe some of the myths - particularly those not in your direct field (I may or may not be talking about myself here).  While we certainly won't stop combating clinical psychology myths here at PBB, it's always exciting to come across like-minded folks also providing valuable material!

What myths about clinical psychology do you find particularly bothersome?  Any myths that you would like for us to investigate and write about?

Other good books about critical thinking in psychology, available in our online store:

• Science and Pseudoscience in Clinical Psychology
  

• How To Think Straight About Psychology (9th Edition)

And, just in case you were questioning my motives, we did not receive any compensation for endorsing this book.

Joye Anestis is a doctoral candidate in clinical psychology at Florida State University.