50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology: Shattering Widespread Misconceptions about Human Behavior

by Scott O. Lilienfeld (Emory University, USA); Steven Jay Lynn (Binghamton University, USA); John Ruscio (The College of New Jersey, USA); Barry L. Beyerstein ((late of) Simon Fraser University, Canada)

• ISBN13: 9781444315714
• ISBN10: 1444315714
• Format: eBook
• Copyright: 2009-10-01
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Summary

50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology uses popular myths as a vehicle for helping students and laypersons to distinguish science from pseudoscience. Uses common myths as a vehicle for exploring how to distinguish factual from fictional claims in popular psychology Explores topics that readers will relate to, but often misunderstand, such as "opposites attract," "people use only 10% of their brains," and handwriting reveals your personality Provides a "mythbusting kit" for evaluating folk psychology claims in everyday life Teaches essential critical thinking skills through detailed discussions of each myth Includes over 200 additional psychological myths for readers to explore Contains an Appendix of useful Web Sites for examining psychological myths Features a postscript of remarkable psychological findings that sound like myths but that are true Engaging and accessible writing style that appeals to students and lay readers alike

Table of Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

Introduction

The Wide World of Psychomythology

Brain Power

Myths about the Brain and Perception

Most People Use Only 10% of Their Brain Power

Some People Are Left-Brained, Others Are Right-Brained

Extrasensory Perception Is a Well-Established Scientific Phenomenon

Visual Perceptions Are Accompanied by Tiny Emissions from the Eyes

Subliminal Messages Can Persuade People to Purchase Products

From Womb to Tomb

Myths about Development and Aging

Playing Mozart's Music to Infants Boosts Their Intelligence

Adolescence Is Inevitably a Time of Psychological Turmoil

Most People Experience a Midlife Crisis in Their 40s or Early 50s

Old Age Is Typically Associated with Increased Dissatisfaction and Senility

When Dying, People Pass through a Universal Series of Psychological Stages

A Remembrance of Things Past

Myths about Memory

Human Memory Works like a Tape Recorder or Video Camera, and Accurately Records the Events We've Experienced

Hypnosis is Useful for Retrieving Memories of Forgotten Events

Individuals Commonly Repress the Memories of Traumatic Experiences

Most People with Amnesia Forget All Details of Their Earlier Lives

Teaching Old Dogs New Tricks

Myths about Intelligence and Learning

Intelligence Tests Are Biased against Certain Groups of People

If You're Unsure of Your Answer When Taking a Test, It's Best to Stick with Your Initial Hunch

The Defining Feature of Dyslexia Is Reversing Letters

Students Learn Best When Teaching Styles Are Matched to Their Learning Styles

Altered States

Myths about Consciousness

Hypnosis Is a Unique "Trance" State that Differs in Kind from Wakefulness

Researchers Have Demonstrated that Dreams Possess Symbolic Meaning

Individuals Can Learn Information, like New Languages, while Asleep

During "Out-of-Body" Experiences, People's Consciousness Leaves Their Bodies

I've Got a Feeling

Myths about Emotion and Motivation

The Polygraph ("Lie Detector") Test Is an Accurate Means of Detecting Dishonesty

Happiness Is Determined Mostly by Our External Circumstances

Ulcers Are Caused Primarily or Entirely by Stress

A Positive Attitude Can Stave off Cancer

The Social Animal

Myths about Interpersonal Behavior

Opposites Attract: We Are Most Romantically Attracted to People Who Differ from Us

There's Safety in Numbers: The More People Present at an Emergency, the Greater the Chance that Someone Will Intervene

Men and Women Communicate in Completely Different Ways

It's Better to Express Anger to Others than to Hold It in

Know Thyself

Myths about Personality

Raising Children Similarly Leads to Similarities in Their Adult Personalities

The Fact that a Trait Is Heritable Means We Can't Change It

Low Self-Esteem Is a Major Cause of Psychological Problems

Most People Who Were Sexually Abused in Childhood Develop Severe Personality Disturbances in Adulthood

People's Responses to Inkblots Tell Us a Great Deal about Their Personalities

Our Handwriting Reveals Our Personality Traits

Sad, Mad, and Bad

Myths about Mental Illness

Psychiatric Labels Cause Harm by Stigmatizing People

Only Deeply Depressed People Commit Suicide

People with Schizophrenia Have Multiple Personalities

Adult Children of Alcoholics Display a Distinct Profile of Symptoms

There's Recently Been a Massive Epidemic of Infantile Autism

Psychiatric Hospital Admissions and Crimes Increase during Full Moons

Disorder in the Court

Myths about Psychology and the Law

Most Mentally Ill People Are Violent

Criminal Profiling Is Helpful in Solving Cases

A Large Proportion Of Criminals Successfully Use the Insanity Defense

Virtually All People Who Confess to a Crime Are Guilty of It

Skills and Pills

Myths about Psychological Treatment

Expert Judgment and Intuition Are the Best Means of Making Clinical Decisions

Abstinence Is the Only Realistic Treatment Goal for Alcoholics

All Effective Psychotherapies Force People to Confront the "Root" Causes of Their Problems in Childhood

Electroconvulsive ("Shock") Therapy Is a Physically Dangerous and Brutal Treatment

Postscript

Truth is Stranger than Fiction

Appendix

Recommended Websites for Exploring Psychomythology

References

Index

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