(Written for PSYC6211, Dr. Geyer, June 3, 2009)

Wilhelm Wundt, who founded the first laboratory for psychological research in 1879, is often described as the ‘founder of psychology’ (Weiten, 2008). While it is true that Wundt advocated an empirical approach toward research, not unlike that found in the physical sciences (Weiten), Wundt actually was skeptical of the ability of the scientific method to address higher mental processes and restricted much of his research accordingly (Blumenthal, 1975). Regardless of Wundt’s intentions, psychology has become well established with a scientific orientation and respect for replicable research in part due to his insistence on strict procedure.

Living in a science lab town, I often encounter ‘true’ scientists who would turn their noses (or perhaps their brains) up at the idea of any social science actually being a true science. The field of psychology is not without its quirks and quacks, but those practicing theoretically have good intentions. As Stanovich (2007) describes, “Psychology is different from other behavioral fields in that it attempts to give the public two guarantees. One is that the conclusions about behavior that it produces derive from scientific evidence. The second is that practical applications have been derived from and tested by scientific methods” (p.6). We rely on critical thinking, facts, and a firm grasp on reality.

image by Robert Venables for TIME

Contrast this with the explosive phenomenon that is the self-help book industry. While book sales in general declined, self-help book sales grew at a staggering pace, quadrupling between 1998 and 2008 (Carpenter, 2008). Without the research to back them up, many self-help authors claim to solve readers’ problems with simplistic, and sometimes, even harmful advice (Wright & Cummings, 2005). According to Wendy Kaminer, a critic of the self-help movement, “self-help books reflect whatever the prevalent ethic of the culture is” (Carpenter, 2008, ‘Self-help books reflect culture,’ ¶1). Any one paying attention will recognize that it is uncommon for scientific realities and the cultural ethos to align. With the past year’s economic downturn, the self-help genre has continued its growth (Bond, 2009), offering the alluring promise that one’s circumstances can improve in three easy steps.

The good news is that since Seligman’s election as President of the APA in 1997 (Weiten, 2008), the new and growing field of positive psychology increasingly steps in to fill some of those self-help shelves at your local Border’s or Barnes & Noble with advice based in empirical evidence. Do you want to be happy? Martin Seligman (2002) gives you ideas about how you can choose to reframe your life by shifting your attention. Rather than focusing on removing illness, positive psychology emphasizes the habits, behaviors, and character traits that can create wellness. Some in our field would criticize this new discipline, painting it as hopelessly ‘Pollyanna’ in its orientation (Gable & Haidt, 2005), but I would argue that the demand for a positive message is there. If psychological researchers will not present information about how to improve oneself, many pretenders are ready to fill that gap with pseudoscience — watch any given episode of Oprah, and The Secret will be obvious.

References

Blumenthal, A. (1975, November). A reappraisal of Wilhelm Wundt. American Psychologist, 30(11), 1081-1088. Retrieved June 4, 2009 from PsycARTICLES.

Bond, G. (2009). Bailouts of the self-help kind: Self-help books in a down economy. Publishers weekly, April 6, 2009. Retrieved June 2, 2009 from http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6649176.html

Carpenter, C. (2008). Self-help books get the ‘tough love’ treatment. The Christian Science Monitor. February 7, 2008. Retrieved June 2, 2009 from http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0207/p17s02-lign.html

Gable, S. L., & Haidt, J. (2005). What (and why?) is positive psychology? Review of general psychology, 2005, Vol. 9, No. 2, 103-110. Retrieved June 1, 2009 from PsycARTICLES.

Seligman, M. (2002). Authentic happiness: Using the new positive psychology to realize your potential for lasting fulfillment. New York: Free Press/Simon & Schuster

Stanovich, K.E. (2007). How to think straight about psychology (Eighth Ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon/Pearson Education, Inc.

Weiten, W. (2008). Psychology: Themes and variations. Briefer version. (7th ed.). Belmont, California: Thomson Higher Education.

Wright, R. H., & Cummings, N. A. (2005). Destructive trends in mental health: The well-intentioned path to harm. New York: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.