9781405131117

50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology uses popular myths as a vehicle for helping students and laypersons to distinguish science from pseudoscience. Uses common myths as a vehicle for exploring how to distinguish factual from fictional claims in popular psychology Explores topics that readers will relate to, but often misunderstand, such as "opposites attract," "people use only 10% of their brains," and handwriting reveals your personality Provides a "mythbusting kit" for evaluating folk psychology claims in everyday life Teaches essential critical thinking skills through detailed discussions of each myth Includes over 200 additional psychological myths for readers to explore Contains an Appendix of useful Web Sites for examining psychological myths Features a postscript of remarkable psychological findings that sound like myths but that are true Engaging and accessible writing style that appeals to students and lay readers alike

Scott O. Lilienfeld is a Professor of Psychology at Emory University. He is a recipient of the 1998 David Shakow Early Career Award for Distinguished Contributions to Clinical Psychology from Division 12 (Society for Clinical Psychology) of the APA, past president of the Society for a Science of Clinical Psychology, and a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science. Dr. Lilienfeld's principal areas of research are personality disorders, psychiatric classification and diagnosis, pseudoscience in mental health, and the teaching of psychology.

Steven Jay Lynn is a Professor of Psychology at the State University of New York at Binghamton. He is past President of the APA’s Division of Psychological Hypnosis, and the recipient of the Chancellor's Award of the SUNY for Scholarship and Creative Activities. His major areas of research include hypnosis and memory.

John Ruscio is an Associate Professor of Psychology at The College of New Jersey. His scholarly interests include quantitative methods for psychological research and the characteristics of pseudoscience that distinguish subjects within and beyond the fringes of psychological science.

Barry L. Beyerstein (the late) was Professor of Psychology at Simon Fraser University and chair of the British Columbia Skeptics Society. He was Associate Editor of the Scientific Review of Alternative Medicine, and he co-authored many articles in the Skeptical Inquirer and professional journals.

Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction: The Wide World of Psychomythology
Brain Power: Myths about the Brain and Perception
Most People Use Only 10% of Their Brain Power
Some People Are Left-Brained, Others Are Right-Brained
Extrasensory Perception Is a Well-Established Scientific Phenomenon
Visual Perceptions Are Accompanied by Tiny Emissions from the Eyes
Subliminal Messages Can Persuade People to Purchase Products
From Womb to Tomb: Myths about Development and Aging
Playing Mozarts Music to Infants Boosts Their Intelligence
Adolescence Is Inevitably a Time of Psychological Turmoil
Most People Experience a Midlife Crisis in Their 40s or Early 50s
Old Age Is Typically Associated with increased dissatisfaction and Senility
When Dying, People Pass through a Universal Series of Psychological Stages
A Remembrance of Things Past: Myths about Memory
Human Memory Works like a Tape Recorder or Video Camera, and Accurately Records the Events Weve Experienced
Hypnosis is Useful for Retrieving Memories of Forgotten Events
Individuals Commonly Repress the Memories of Traumatic Experiences
Most People with Amnesia Forget All Details of Their Earlier Lives
Teaching Old Dogs New Tricks: Myths about Intelligence and Learning
Intelligence Tests Are Biased against Certain Groups of People
If Youre Unsure of Your Answer When Taking a Test, Its Best to Stick with Your Initial Hunch
The Defining Feature of Dyslexia Is Reversing Letters
Students Learn Best When Teaching Styles Are Matched to Their Learning Styles
Altered States: Myths about Consciousness
Hypnosis Is a Unique "Trance" State that Differs in Kind from Wakefulness
Researchers Have Demonstrated that Dreams Possess Symbolic Meaning
Individuals Can Learn Information, like New Languages, while Asleep
During "Out-of-Body" Experiences, Peoples Consciousness Leaves Their Bodies
Ive Got a Feeling: Myths about Emotion and Motivation
The Polygraph ("Lie Detector") Test Is an Accurate Means of Detecting Dishonesty
Happiness Is Determined Mostly by Our External Circumstances
Ulcers Are Caused Primarily or Entirely by Stress
A Positive Attitude Can Stave off Cancer
The Social Animal: Myths about Interpersonal Behavior
Opposites Attract: We Are Most Romantically Attracted to People Who Differ from Us
Theres Safety in Numbers: The More People Present at an Emergency, the Greater the Chance that Someone Will Intervene
Men and Women Communicate in Completely Different Ways
Its Better to Express Anger Openly to Others than to Hold It in
Know Thyself: Myths about Personality
Raising Children Similarly Leads to Similarities in Their Adult Personalities
The Fact that a Trait Is Heritable Means We Cant Change It
Low Self-Esteem Is a Major Cause of Psychological Problems
Most People Who Were Sexually Abused in Childhood Develop Severe Personality Disturbances in Adulthood
Peoples Responses to Inkblots Tell Us a Great Deal about Their Personalities
Our Handwriting Reveals Our Personality Traits
Sad, Mad, and Bad: Myths about Mental Illness
Psychiatric Labels Cause Harm by Stigmatizing People
Only Deeply Depressed People Commit Suicide
People with Schizophrenia Have Multiple Personalities
Adult Children of Alcoholics Display a Distinct Profile of Symptoms
Theres Recently Been a Massive Epidemic of Infantile Autism
Psychiatric Hospital Admissions and Crimes Increase during Full Moons
Disorder in the Court: Myths about Psychology and Law
Most Mentally Ill People Are Violent
Criminal Profiling Is Helpful in Solving Cases
A Large Proportion Of Criminals Successfully Use the Insanity Defense
Virtually All People Who Confess to a Crime Are Guilty of It
Skills and Pills: Myths about Psychological Treatment
Expert Judgment and Intuition Are the Best Means of Making Clinical Decisions
Abstinence Is the Only Realistic Treatment Goal for Alcoholics
All Effective Psychotherapies Force People to Confront the "Root" Causes of Their Problems in Childhood
Electroconvulsive ("Shock" Therapy Is a Physically Dangerous and Brutal Treatment
Postscript: Truth is Stranger than Fiction
Appendix Recommended Websites for Exploring Psychomythology
References
Index
Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.

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50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology Shattering Widespread Misconceptions about Human Behavior

50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology Shattering Widespread Misconceptions about Human Behavior

140513111X

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