Science and Pseudoscience in Clinical Psychology

by Scott O. Lilienfeld (Editor), Steven Jay Lynn (Editor), Jeffrey M. Lohr (Editor)

This book offers a rigorous examination of a variety of therapeutic, assessment, and diagnostic techniques in clinical psychology, focusing on practices that are popular and influential but lack a solid grounding in empirical research. Featuring chapters from leading clinical researchers, the text helps professionals and students evaluate the merits of novel and controversial techniques and differentiate between those that can stand up to scientific scrutiny and those that cannot. Reviewed are widely used therapies for alcoholism, infantile autism, and ADHD; the use of EMDR in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder; herbal remedies for depression and anxiety; suggestive techniques for memory recovery; and self-help models. Other topics covered include issues surrounding psychological expert testimony, the uses and abuses of projective assessment techniques, and unanswered questions about dissociative identity disorder. Offering a balanced, constructive review of available research, each accessibly written chapter concludes with a glossary of key terms.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Science, Pseudoscience

474 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Bumbierītis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a general vague understanding that clinical psychology doesn't have strong evidence base. Little did I know that middle ages are alive and well in large parts of clinical psychology practice. After reading the book, it seems that much of it operates on principles of alchemy - without exaggeration there's magic, exorcisms and looking for the philosopher's stone. What is even more disconcerting is that it isn't just fringe practitioners but it has spread to mainstream with the likes of EMDR and dissociative personality disorder.

With much pessimism in the book there is ground for optimism too. The success of evidence based clinical psychology research is clearly laid out, including some behavioural methods. Science took a few centuries to arrive from alchemy to its current form and hopefully the same happens with psychology.

As a whole, the book gives a good overview of the current practice of clinical psychology.

[Rob · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE most important book that a mental health professional can read. It should be required reading for all psychologists, social workers, counselors, and psychiatrists.

[Sarah Suniga · Rating 4 out of 5]

From what I can remember, this book covered a variety of topics where it appears that much of the hype surrounding certain techniques, etc has been accepted without critical evaluation. As a clinician in the trauma field, I appreciated the chapter regarding EMDR.

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was hesitant about this book as it's daunting and a bit lengthy for a textbook. I ended up LOVING this, which is hard to say about a textbook! The information was interesting and engaging. I only wish it wasn't so expensive and I would've kept it.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well-intentioned and intelligent critique of some of the less-than-scientific aspects of clinical psychotherapy (projective tests, thought field therapy, and other low-hanging fruit) by academicians who don't seem to be practicing therapists themselves... Maybe similar to PhD architects discussing basic carpentry techniques? Interesting, often inarguably valid criticism... It's hard to imagine a prospective therapy client reading this book, and I hope and pray that clinicians who read this book were not surprised or offended by the debunkings... But I guess there'd be no need for a book like this if a certain portion of my colleagues weren't gullible, misguided but well-meaning helpers (or outright charlatans).

[Dovilė Stonė · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aš, kaip ir knygos autoriai, galvoju, kad ją reikėtų perskaityti visiems psichologijos studentams ir ne(be) studentams.

Nes gi atrodo, kad net ir minimum 6 metai univėre kai kurių psichologų neapsaugo nuo iškeliavimo į pseudomokslo karalystę - o ką, ji daug prašmatnesnė, aiškesnė, intuityvesnė. Jei neturi tvirto mokslinio stuburo, lengva susipainiot ir net neįtarti, kad tapai šarlatanu.

"In such a culture, pseudoscience is particularly attractive because pseudoscience by definition promises certainty, whereas science gives us probability and doubt. Pseudoscience is popular because it confirms what we believe; science is unpopular because it makes us question what we believe."

Gal, sakau, šita knyga padėtų susigaudyt ir užčiuopt, kaip atrodo moksliškai pagrįstos psichologo darbo priemonės ir metodai - kuo jie skiriasi nuo visokių abejotinų, neretai neveiksmingų, o kartais ir pavojingų terapijų.

Pradžioj aptariama, kuo skiriasi mokslas nuo pseudomokslo ir kodėl sunku objektyviai pasimokyti iš savo asmeninės praktikos; toliau išsamiai apžvelgiama: psichologinio įvertinimo priemonės, self-help literatūra, psichologinių traumų gydymas, kontroversiški priklausomybių gydymo būdai, antidepresantai, vaikų ir paauglių psichologinių problemų gydymas - ką šiose srityse turim gero ir žinom tvirtai, o ko reikėtų vengti.

Nėra labai lengvas skaitinys prieš miegą - tekstai akademiniai, daug citatų, mažai juokelių (bet kažkur bent vienas tikrai buvo :D ), užtat jaučiasi pastanga išlikti objektyviems ir neužsiimti raganų medžiokle. Beje, knyga ne šių metų, tai galimai atsirado naujų tyrimų, bet bendros tendencijos aiškios. O ir pamatiniai knygoje pristatomi evidence-based psichologijos principai vargu, ar galėtų pasenti.

We must remain open to novel and untested claims, regardless of how superficially implausible they might appear at first blush. At the same time, we must subject these claims to incisive scrutiny to ensure that they withstand the crucible of rigorous scientific testing.

Ta proga dar straipsnis apie abejotinus psichologų naudojamus konstruktus. Daugelis jų labiau pasitaiko mokslinėj literatūroj, bet nubyra ir į visokius delfius.
Fifty psychological and psychiatric terms to avoid: A list of inaccurate, misleading, misused, ambiguous, and logically confused words and phrases:
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/...

[Pardis TD · Rating 5 out of 5]

The premise is that ADHD has also been rejected by many other expert professionals, however, when it comes to psychology I believe pseudoscience is a matter, like in all subjects, of who delivers it; for example if a psychopath and conman or conwoman ended up in the profession of psychology, they will make it out to be a pseudoscience, it isn't that psychology is a pseudoscience, but the psychopath is a pseudoscientist; obviously someone like that will claim in a certain position to be a superwoman and superman, and create some label, to make him or herself feel special and entitled and is going to be grandiose, but in practice, will deliver the opposite, then it's just a conniving situation, as someone so special wouldn't be so insensitive to harm others for a gain, and think is still some kind of amazing individual. I believe psychology is a science, but I do not believe in everyone who makes claims is a psychologist, a position that I learnt of in law school, as everything can be misused by pseudoprofessionals. Now they've removed breach of confidentiality in some places to avoid the harm for example that some "clinical psychologists", actually psychopaths could induce in their patients by covering up such unjustified breaches, but those are not psychologists. Obviously to the psychopath everything is a joke and a cult, even science, because they lack all forms of wisdom. Even the profession of pharmacist no longer exists, as it's all criminal psychopaths and malpractitioners now. I now see there's a wave of psychopaths accessing the medical profession, not as many as pharmacists, but I do wonder how the pharmacy practice was destroyed, did it start off like the physician's situation now, or how? Obviously at the time of Avicenna and Galen none of this existed.

[Eduardo Lira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bueno para desarrollar un ojo crítico ante el espectro de pseudociencias como el psicoanálisis, el apego, el TID, el trauma, el TDAH, las terapias como la EMDR y demás que son básicamente la homeopatía de la psicología clínica

[Clàudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everybody should read this, I'm glad it was mandatory for my Psychology degree.

[Robert Bogue · Rating 4 out of 5]

To say that sometimes my reading list slips off into the odd is an understatement. Sometimes I’m reading some really clinical research based books. I’m trying to make sure that I’m really understanding a topic and I realize that I may be reading more about psychology than most practitioners, but I believe that there are key insights to be gained. This time I’m looking at the Science and Pseudoscience in Clinical Psychology. Last time I was looking at The Heart and Soul of Change: Delivering what Works in Therapy. This follows on the heels of The Cult of Personality Testing where I got to see some of the underbelly of the psychological assessment part of the industry. I needed to learn more about just how bad the work on personality testing was – and to pick up a broader perspective of the issues in the industry.

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