Would you please stop being so dismissive of psychology as a whole? Yes, it is a young science, constantly evolving and with a long way to go still. And I understand that you didn’t see results with your therapist. Maybe the therapy style wasn’t right for you, or maybe your therapist didn’t do a good job, or both. It’s not like bad professionals don’t exist. There’s also different types of therapy and some are more backed by science than others. If you didn’t like the one you tried, look for a different one. But stop blaming psychology as a whole, because the alternative is just leaving people to fend for themselves.
baticao asked:
Would you please stop being so dismissive of psychology as a whole? Yes, it is a young science, constantly evolving and with a long way to go still. And I understand that you didn’t see results with your therapist. Maybe the therapy style wasn’t right for you, or maybe your therapist didn’t do a good job, or both. It’s not like bad professionals don’t exist. There’s also different types of therapy and some are more backed by science than others. If you didn’t like the one you tried, look for a different one. But stop blaming psychology as a whole, because the alternative is just leaving people to fend for themselves.
of course, there are different fields of psychology like in all sciences and it is always evolving. the study of the human mind is important and necessary, and there are many good psychologists just as there are good members of any occupation.
however, in a vent post where I talk about my capabilities being dismissed despite having the same level of education as a psychologist in my country (master’s degree), I did not find it necessary to add this asterisk. sure, I’m not a psychologist, but I know how to read a statistic. I may have also exaggerated for the sake of a joke.
where I’m from a psychologist and therapist are two different jobs. my therapist, even though I’ve complained about her at times, is excellent. I have not received much help from psychologists, but that is definitely more of a systemic issue, as they do not have much leverage in a patient’s treatment. I should add that here you do not simply try a different one unless you can afford private healthcare. in public healthcare the professional you meet is the professional you get. however, also a systematic issue.
I do retain my right to be critical of psychology and psychiatry, and on some accounts I do dismiss it. too much of our experiences have been medicalised, and there are psychologists who agree. popular psychology has caused many problems, but of course that cannot be equated to academic psychology.
there is an alternative for psychologists, and that is kindness and community from the people we meet in our every day life. of course professional help is also needed, but we have forgotten the importance of the support of other people on the account of professional interference. the sad truth is that a lot of people do fend for themselves, because people have so little time to be present for each other, but this is a problem more professional help, diagnoses and whatnot, won’t fix.
in my studies of the history of psychiatry I read that instead of professional treatment, most of the time people got better with time and support from their loved ones. not saying that treatment, especially contemporary treatment, does not help, but I think there is heaps of truth in that.
