A little while ago I was accused of being a proponent of cod psychology. Were I inviting fish to take time out on my couch to share with me their problems, this might be both interesting and fun. Unfortunately, though I can find no good definition of the term, it simply means fake psychology.
It is something which has weighed on my mind a little, since I think that the accusation was simply unfounded. I'll agree that I am an enthusiastic reader of psychology research, and pop-science books on the subject, and that, as an undergraduate, I am but a fledgling in the science myself. I have though spent over twenty years married to, and learning from, an expert in cognitive behavioural therapy, and all of those years working with clients with a variety of mental health issues; that is my inspiration for taking on my degree when my contemporaries are dreamily thinking of early retirement.
So, I wholeheartedly deny the accusation of fakery. You may disagree with what I perceive, what I believe and the hypotheses I postulate, you may reasonably suggest my lack of knowledge has led me up the wrong track, but there is nothing cod, nor otherwise fishy, about psychology as a science, nor my use of the knowledge I have learned.
All of this preamble is by way of linking to articles I enjoyed on another blog, Listverse, two lists of common psychological misperceptions. I think I have fallen for most, if not all of them at one time or another, check them out yourselves.
Top 10 Common Faults In Human Thought
10 More Common Faults in Human Thought
Most recently, I tripped over confirmation bias, but I am sure you lot have never fallen for any of them, after all, you're all above average, right?
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