At War with Psychologists!
~ the philosophers, sociologists, anthropologists, neuroscientists ~
We need a few Tools of Thought, before we dive-in:
“Errors are ALL Different. Truth CLUSTERS.”
When Medical Researchers want to survey physicians, to determine the most accurate diagnosis of a set of patients, those Medical Researchers look at ‘which CLUSTER of diagnoses was biggest?’ That is because, among all of the physicians who were Wrong… they were wrong in Dozens of Different Ways! Meanwhile, there is only ONE truth, and as a result — the doctors who diagnosed correctly were a Cluster of Agreement. (This does NOT work with a group of uninformed and easily-influenced folks who lack a career of experience on the matter! More about those folks, further down below…)
“Truth is NOT what ‘sounds right’ — it’s what ACTUALLY happened.”
Demagogues regularly fleece their own followers with fantastical stories about reality, while patently avoiding ALL of the facts of history. For example: While tens of thousands of people have been admitted for treatment of persistent, visceral delusions (I am one!) — NONE of those very-thoroughly-convincing fantasies ever ‘Manifested’. Nope, not once did someone who ‘really-really believes that they are Napoleon’ actually become Napoleon. That book, “The Secret” — beloved by every narcissistic loaf, claimed that ‘manifesting’ happens once you ‘really really want and believe’. It doesn’t. Similarly, the claim that ‘my random conspiracy-theory evangelism is completely valid, because it’s my Personal truth’ is an attempt to make arrogant, uninformed opinions LOOK like they carry equal weight as FACTS. The ‘Praxeologists’ in Economics are the most egregious of the offenders, claiming that: “You should NOT look at ANY data from the real world; it’s just TOO confusing! Instead, find whichever STORY ‘sounds right’ to you, because that MUST be the rationale used by everyone in their daily economic activity.” Ugh.
Now, for the Psychologists!
In each country, divided by language-barrier, we have had decades of ‘fashionable’ pop-psychology. In the USA, in the 70’s, we all decided that finger-painting would cure society of Charles Manson. A few decades ago, I remember the hype surrounding ‘re-birth-ing therapy’ that shuffled under the rug when that phase was passed. In Sweden, hilariously, they are currently under the delusion that “ALL Personalities can be clustered into just FIVE types, which for no apparent reason are attached to each of five Colors. So, you just KNOW how EVERY interaction will go, based upon the ‘Color-Type’ of each participant.” Really? Then why haven’t all the other countries agreed upon this new psychology? It sounds like Sweden decided they were wise, when they dehumanized people by sticking everyone into one of five boxes, pretending that those ‘colors’ represent the most important parts of identity.
THAT is the key sticking-point: Psychology ‘Theories’ are *actually* vague, ill-defined, and wrong-headed hypotheses. When actual Scientists went to repeat numerous Psychology ‘studies’ and ‘experiments’, they found that MOST of the Psych-literature is ‘non-replicable’. That’s a polite way of saying “these doofuses just pulled answers out of their butts.” The “Stages of Grief”? Actually, MOST people do NOT follow MOST of the stages, so it’s really just a misleading homunculus operating under a pretense of comprehension. “If the ‘theory’ doesn’t work for *you*, that’s okay” is NOT Science. “Personality Types”? Nope — humans are WAAAAY more nuanced; in particular, the KINDS of qualities that matter to EACH person are based upon their own ‘world model’ and the culture that they find themselves within. One country asks strangers first: “Which pronouns do you prefer?” A different country asks strangers first: “Which church do you attend?” Stanley Milgram, the Sociologist, proved that ‘more than three fourths of the variation in human behavior is due to changes in their current circumstances; BOTH nature AND nurture are only a Minor Impact on behavior.’ “The Colors of Love”, “Love Languages” are the pop-psych copium that validates behaviors that philosophers all knew to shun. And, the worst lie promulgated by these factless fanatics? “A person can ONLY change… when THEY want to!” I call bullsh*t.
What ‘causes’ a person to now ‘want’ to change? This is the key Motive and Causative issue that philosophers, neuroscientists, sociologists, and anthropologists have looked at… while Psychologists throw-up their hands, gleefully painting a Question-Mark and scurrying away to collect more fees like a Snake-Oil Salesman. It seems pertinent, doesn’t it? To ask: “What would take a person who does NOT currently want therapy, and create an environment where they DO end up changing?” Sounds like an intervention? Or… a REVOLUTION!
See: Historians, Diplomats, Negotiators, have dealt with this same practical issue. And we ALL say the OPPOSITE of the psychologists: “YES, you CAN and SHOULD change people. And it does NOT happen when you CODDLE them. Ask Ella Baker! Ask Madeleine Albright!” Socrates *confronted* people; so did Sir Thomas Moore; so did Gandhi, laying harsh shade on the Prime Minister of England during his visit! The American Revolution did NOT happen “once everyone in the country *felt* like changing, and agreed, consensus-wise, after decades of therapy.” Nope — only a THIRD of the country was Revolutionary. And I’m glad they stood-up to MAKE change. That is what shapes history.
In contrast, the ‘pay-for-a-parent’ therapy-snuggle has convinced entire generations of people within Consumerism that “personal growth should always *feel* nice, and I should ONLY do the growth that I *feel* like.” Darwin’s going to come knocking, one day. Results matter. Science improves; ideologues have been spinning their wheels on false claims of certainty for millennia. By convincing everyone that ‘you shouldn’t HAVE to listen to anyone who says things in a WAY that you don’t *like* or who says things you don’t *enjoy* hearing’ the Psych-mob has formed a *shield* that protects people from REALIZING that they NEED to change!
My mom and all her friends are still complaining about the EXACT same problems they had when they started therapy… 50 years ago! At the same time, Scientists *compared* various therapies, as well as a ‘control-case’ where folks just went home with equal hours spent on themselves, and spending psychologist-time-equivalent cash on their own interests. All therapy-sessions, of all types, are ONLY as-good or *worse* than “I spent an hour and a half and $80 bucks each week on whatever I felt like doing.” Therapy is worse for your growth and fulfillment than just Living Life!
But, are there any insights that do better than “just go home and do stuff”? Yup! Found by Anthropologists, Philosophers, Sociologists, Neuroscientists. Look at Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Principled Negotiation (from Bill Ury’s “Getting to Yes” series), studies of Tribal Rites, commitment, and bonding, as opposed to the Alienation and Brand-Tribalism of modern, industrial Consumerism. Psychologists keep pretending that ‘humans have ALWAYS, and MUST always act within the bounds observed in our country…’ with complete oblivion! No, our Western Consumerism has raised pampered Boomers AND Zoomers, who have validated their culture’s Norms as if they were the Path to Truth. Sartre is fuming!
Psychologists claim that “we should ONLY speak in the way that the other person *likes* and ONLY address the issues that *they* want to address.” That is void of accountability for the Impact of peoples’ choices on others, their commitments, and the future. It’s the crux of the coddling, permissive-parent attitude of the psych-cult. If someone is spraying toxic chemicals onto a school-yard, I am right to tackle them and halt their spree of atrocity. But — if that same person is a Narcissistic Abuser, I’m supposed to let everyone ELSE find-out that this guy is abusive, AFTER they suffer his behavior on their own? Simply because ‘the narcissist doesn’t WANT to change’? I come from a tribe where we hunt Wendigo. That’s the Philosopher standing for Truth, the Revolutionary shouting at the crowds, and they will NEVER be saying “what people *like* to hear”! Saying what people did NOT want to hear is why folks killed Socrates AND Sir Thomas Moore! And, that is proof that Tom had valuable and just things to say — it is NOT ‘proof that Sir Tom should have kept everyone happy by saying what they want to hear’!
Further, the tribes emote — while your psych-grip on self-expression limits emoting down-to milquetoast mewlings, because you fear people *acting-out* upon their feelings. I am with you in that concern; violence is intolerable and a shame in any degree. AND, your fear of abusive behaviors has OVER-SHOT reality: your fear of abusive behaviors led you to ban emoting anything except happy and sad. No. Tribes emote, AND they don’t tolerate abuse. Psych-fluff is dead wrong, and their clamp-down upon emoting leads to superficial, hallmark-card ‘advice’ and ‘caring’ that never addresses the practical, situational *causes* of those symptomes called Depression and Anxiety. The heroes of history all said: “When the world is literally dying, shouldn’t we be anxious and depressed?!” Our empathy for the emoting we hear in others is what MOTIVATES us to make radical changes in the world, and ourselves. (That is to say, “We can and should change people, by emoting, which builds the empathic team which can address the root-causes of our trauma and destructive habits.”) It starts by letting others show the gross, loud, rude, confusing, scary feelings… AND always fighting abusive behaviors. If we don’t, Hebb says we are doomed to Alienation and Dehumanization.
