What Is Pop Psychology?

Pop psychology encompasses a diverse set of mental health theories and practices that achieve popularity in the mass media. Pop psychologists do not always have academic credentials as doctors. Further, professional organizations such as the American Psychological Association do not endorse many concepts or ideas found in "self-help" books, advice columns or radio call-in shows. While pop psychology may be helpful for many, the reader or viewer should not regard Dr. Phil or Oprah Winfrey as accredited medical professionals.

History

• Dale Carnegie's "How to Win Friends and Influence People" became a bestseller in the 1936 with essays such as "Fundamental Techniques in Handling People" or "Seven Rules in Making Your Home Life Happier." However, pop psychology can be traced to earlier pseudo-scientific movements in the 18th and 19th centuries such as phrenology or physiognomy that defined psychological tendencies according to the physical characteristics of the face or skull. Other classic texts of pop psychology include Napoleon Hill's "Think and Grow Rich" (1937) and Norman Vincent Peale's "The Power of Positive Thinking" (1952).

Purpose

• While Freud, Jung or Lacan principally wrote theoretical treatises about the human condition, pop psychologists adopt more of a how-to approach for curing psychological problems. Though pop psychologists may advance certain claims about how the mind functions, they use them as a starting point to give advice about achieving specific goals, happiness or inner-peace. Pop psychologists generally do not address severe mental illnesses such as schizophrenia or obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Unwarranted Claims

• Pop psychologists have introduced many ideas and beliefs that are not accepted by the medical establishment at large. Some popular myths include that we use only 15 percent of our brains or people may be controlled through a form of suggestive hypnotism known as neuro-linguistic programming. Other pop psychology memes can be found in professional discourses or methodologies but take on exaggerated or distorted significance in a popular context. For instance, Freud may have invented the concept of the Freudian slip, but it is not central to his psychoanalytical theories.

Consequences

• Many people become happier and healthier through employing pop psychology in their daily lives. However, medical professionals have warned of dangers. Self-help books often make unrealisitic promises about their benefits or exaggerate the ease with which the reader can solve complex psychological issues. Another possible disadvantage involves literary self-medication. Chronic neuroses such as depression should be examined and treated by a psychologist rather than by the sufferer.