On the Distinction Between Cheap Psychology and Expensive...

[Aetixintro]

The whole: "On the Distinction Between Cheap Psychology and Expensive Psychology"

I would like to point out the distinction between cheap psychology and expensive psychology!
Some people call themselves "people with great insights into psychology" and thus represent a kind of Folk-Psychology. Yet other actual psychologists don't deliver according to the professional requirements. You should ditch both of these notions and seek the "expensive" psychology, psychology that makes sense and works for you!

"Expensive" psychology comes from psychologists and others with deep, academic insights and they are well-trained in Psychology. Otherwise it may be possible to obtain "expensive" psychology by books and a good deal of efforts of yourself. That is, you make serious efforts toward getting to "expensive" psychology yourself.

This for now! Cheers! (Perhaps more later.)

PS: I have the view that, without having profound knowledge of psychology, that it may be rewarding to roll back on psychology to the '50s and '60s and add cognitive progress in the field from today and deducting the awful racist notions from this "early" time, considering the 120 years of the "young" science of psychology.

PS2: I'd also like to add the mere fact that some people make this distinction between cheap psychology and expensive psychology and that there may be important underlying factors that makes it so!

[Edit:] A final note: this has first been published on my blog, http://blog.t-lea.net/#post158! [End of edit.]

[HexHammer]

I can only consider this shrink buizness as a highly inefficient money mongering way of wasting time ..for the most part, though there are indeed some skilled shrinks and some mental illnesses which are easy to cure through shrinks.

The whole foundation of our modern shrink approach are rooted in Freudian ways, and some in Jung, but the scare of suggestive due to the suicide attempt of a patient of Freud has led to this navel gazingness, also a few cases where shrinks would implement false memories.

[melonkali]

I can only consider this shrink buizness as a highly inefficient money mongering way of wasting time ..for the most part, though there are indeed some skilled shrinks and some mental illnesses which are easy to cure through shrinks.

The whole foundation of our modern shrink approach are rooted in Freudian ways, and some in Jung, but the scare of suggestive due to the suicide attempt of a patient of Freud has led to this navel gazingness, also a few cases where shrinks would implement false memories.

I'd agree that there are several mental conditions for which counseling alone is not effective, for which drugs are clearly the most successful treatment, and, at least in my region, these can only be prescribed legally by a psychiatrist or neuropsychiatrist. Often such patients do require counseling in addition to drugs or medical treatment, and for that, finding a well-trained experienced psychologist is one's best option, IMO. Although there are certainly well-credentialed psychologists who are poor practitioners, the odds of finding appropriate counsel is better in that category than diving blind into the ocean of general counselors, which has too many quacks, ranging from ineffective to dangerous. (Not saying that all general counselors are bad -- it's just that there are so many bad ones around, if you don't know of a specific competent one, the odds are against your fishing trip).

When it comes to personality disorders and other disorders for which drugs or other medical treatments are not appropriate, a well trained and experienced psychologist is usually the best choice. There are psychologists who excel in law enforcement negotiation situations, as with jumpers, hostages, etc. Also, regarding people who LEGITIMATELY fall on the narcissistic/borderline/sociopathic personality disorder continuum (often found in prison populations), in people with these disorders, drugs/medical treatments have proven not only ineffective, they are sometimes counterproductive -- this, IMO, is an area for experienced, qualified psychologists only. It's not for the naive, under-trained, inexperienced or faint of heart.

rebecca