Psychobabble and Biobunk: Using Psychological Science to Think Critically About Popular Psychology

by Tavris, Carol

• ISBN13: 9780130279866
• ISBN10: 0130279862
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-01-01
• Publisher: Pearson College Div

Summary

This selection of opinion essays and book reviews by Carol Tavris--written forThe Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, Scientific American,and other publications--applies psychological research and principles of scientific and critical thinking to issues in the news. As readers work their wayinteractivelythrough the essays--thinking through the author's position and their own on the various issues, they engage and strengthen their critical thinking skills--e.g., asking questions and wondering; defining terms; examining the evidence; analyzing assumptions and biases--one's own and those of others; avoiding emotional reasoning; not oversimplifying; considering other interpretations; and tolerating uncertainty.Focuses on important areas such as Science vs. Pseudoscience, Controversies in Child Development, The Politics and Science of Gender Research, Applying Psychology to Social Issues, and Mental Disorder and Treatment. Individual essay topics include, for example, The Popularity of Predictions; Thinking Critically About Alternative Medicine; Thinking Critically About Mystical Messages; The Working Mother Debate; How Much Influence Do Mothers Have?; How Much Influence Do Parents Have?; How Critical Are the First Years of Life?; The Interpretation of Differences; The Paradox of Gender; Biological Politics and the Study of Gender; Emotional Epidemics and Their Consequences; The Daycare Sex-abuse Scandals; Adolescent Violence; The Limits of Medication; and Thinking Critically About Psychotherapy.For anyone who wants to explore the psychological basis of current popular culture issues and to engage in, and strengthen, the critical thinking skills.

Table of Contents

A Note to the Reader	vii
A Note to the Instructor	xi
SCIENCE VERSUS PSEUDOSCIENCE
The Appeal of Pseudoscience	3	(3)
Astrology thrives on the gullibility gene
The Popularity of Predictions	6	(3)
Call us unpredictable
The Misuses of Opinion Polls	9	(2)
For whom do the polls toll? The silenced majority
The Misuses of Pop-psych Surveys	11	(3)
Method gets lost in the imagery of social science fiction
Stories Versus Statistics	14	(3)
Anecdotes: Coat hangers of truth
Illusory Correlations	17	(3)
The illogic of linking pornography and rape
Thinking Critically About Alternative Medicine	20	(3)
Review of The Alternative Medicine Handbook
Barrie Cassileth
Thinking Critically About Mystical Messages	23	(6)
Review of Nonconscious Movements: From mystical messages to facilitated communication
Herman Spitz
CONTROVERSIES IN CHILD DEVELOPMENT
The Working Mother Debate	29	(3)
Review of A Mother's Place
Susan Chira
How Much Influence Do Mothers Have?	32	(2)
Even moms can't guarantee a perfect life
How Much Influence Do Parents Have?	34	(5)
Review of The Nurture Assumption
Judith Rich Harris
How Critical Are the First Years of Life?	39	(6)
Review of The Myth of the First Three Years
John T. Bruer
THE POLITICS AND SCIENCE OF GENDER RESEARCH
Are Men and Women ``Opposite Sexes''?	45	(3)
Disarmament for the gender wars
The Interpretation of Differences, I	48	(2)
How friendship was ``feminized''
The Interpretation of Differences, II	50	(3)
Misreading the gender gap
The Paradox of Gender	53	(5)
Review of The Two Sexes
Eleanor Maccoby
Biological Politics and the Study of Gender	58	(5)
Rules of the road for biological research
APPLYING PSYCHOLOGY TO SOCIAL ISSUES
Emotional Epidemics and Their Consequences	63	(5)
Review of Hystories: Hysterical epidemics and modern media
Elaine Showalter
The Day-care Sex-abuse Scandals	68	(5)
A day-care witch hunt tests justice in Massachusetts
The Death Penalty	73	(3)
Passion's posse claims a victim
The War on Drugs	76	(3)
Drop the iron fist and try rules of moderation
Adolescent Violence	79	(3)
Violence is a symptom, not an inevitability
Bystander Apathy	82	(3)
In groups, we shrink from loner's heroics
The Sources of Happiness	85	(3)
Review of Flow: The psychology of optimal experience
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
The Meanings of Self-esteem	88	(2)
Who stole grit from self-esteem?
Sexual Orientation	90	(5)
Review of The Invention of Homosexuality
Jonathan Ned Katz
MENTAL DISORDER AND TREATMENT
Medicating the Mind	95	(4)
Review of Listening to Prozac
Peter Kramer
The Limits of Medication	99	(3)
We're only hearing about the quick fix
The Politics of Diagnosis: ``PMS'' and the DSM	102	(3)
You haven't come very far, baby
Thinking Critically About Psychotherapy	105
Review of House of Cards
Robyn Dawes