Pop Psychology and Science Psychology
As years progressed, people started coming up with other strategies meant to improve the psychological well being of individuals giving rise to popular psychology (pop psychology) that includes theoretical practices which are generally accepted by the public and keep on changing from time to time. This research shall contrast popular psychology and science psychology in order to determine the future of psychology as well as the role of psychology in the contemporary society.
Literature Review
Although pop psychology has got some distinct differences from the real psychology, it has got some roles that it plays in the society. According to Kayne (2003), pop psychology information disseminated in seminars and through other means, helps people to overcome certain fears and phobias. In addition, it helps people change some attitude and through this they end up becoming more successful. Moreover, some books of pop psychology are very helpful in personal growth and self realization as they contain ways through which a person can remove some personal barriers and acquire self confidence.
On the other hand, there are some short comings of pop psychology. It has been recorded that some seminar processes that people undergo are quite stressful. In addition, there is always a danger when the emotional, mental as well as other disorders are not diagnosed and treated by a qualified medical doctor. There have been some instances where people have suffered in the hands of pop psychologists who are not always qualified to handle some cases (Kayne, 2003).
Science Psychology
This may be taken to mean the real psychology that has been tested and proved to be true through scientific research. It has got a long history and has been very helpful to human beings in various aspects of their lives. To begin with, clinical psychology is very helpful as it is used to treat and diagnose mental disorders like depression. After treatment, people go back to their normal daily lives. In counseling psychology, people are helped to overcome some unpleasant habits. For instance, drug addicts are helped to quit the habit successfully. In counseling psychology, people with life issues like marital problems are advised on how to overcome and cope with their problems (Joshua, 2009).
In the education sector, psychology has been used to help teachers in their teaching career. Teachers use psychological approaches to understand their students and this helps them to offer the necessary services to their students. It is more helpful when handling students with special needs and learning disabilities because it offers methods that can be used in such cases. It is through psychology that teachers are able to understand children with behavioral problems and help them where necessary. For example, a teacher may be helped to understand that students, who are always aggressive, do not behave as such due to lack of displine but may be as a result of a problem that occurred in their developmental stages.
Pop Psychology versus Science Psychology
Pop psychology and science psychology are different in various aspects. In pop psychology, information is displayed in an oversimplified manner for people to understand. Moreover, the information is readily available because it is disseminated through self help books, radio, television programs, myths, and in popular magazines or newspaper articles. On the other hand, science psychology information is mostly found in published books and scholarly journals and such information is not easy for common people to understand because it is complex and mostly inform of theories (Heflick, 2009).
Although some of the pop psychology material is written by psychologists and PhD holders, most of the information is usually not tested or verified through research procedures. However, this does not mean that the information is wrong since most of it has been helpful to some people as recorded by Kayne (2003). On the contrary, science psychology contains information that has been tested and verified though research. One feature that characterizes pop psychology which lacks in science psychology is the fact that pop psychology contains solutions to almost all life problems. It is characterized by numerous myths which are often contradicted by the available evidence like the myth that states that it is better to express anger to others than to hold it. Evidence shows that expressing anger reinforces it and leads to more aggression.
Impacts of Psychology to the Contemporary Society
Psychology impacts each and every persons life in the whole world. As a school teacher, education psychology can be very helpful in the career as earlier discussed. It will help me to understand my students better and teach them effectively. Through psychology, I can employ some principles like the role of play in learning while teaching the young children. This will not only foster learning but it will simplify my work as teacher. Being a parent and a single mother, psychology will help me understand developmental stages of my child and provide the necessary help so as to ensure that the child does not suffer late in life because of early developmental problems.
Conclusion
Unless some interventions are put in place, the future of psychology may be at stake. This is because although it has been argued that pop psychology contains some ideas of real psychology presented in a more receptive manner, most of it does not have research based evidence and has been found to be misleading. In addition, pop psychology is almost everywhere and readily available to the general public. However, if more research can be encouraged in learning institutions, the situation can be salvaged since this will generate more valuable information to people which will meet their daily needs.
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