Psychology Losing Scientific Credibility, Say APA Insiders

Psychology Losing Scientific Credibility, Say APA Insiders is an article posted at the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality. It is about a presentation at the NARTH meetings by two self-avowed "liberal" psychologists. They are authors of the recently published book Destructive Trends In Mental Health: The Well-Intentioned Path to Harm.

In a harsh critique of his own profession, a former American Psychological Association president told fellow clinicians at the NARTH Conference that social science is in a state of alarming decline.

Speaking to a rapt audience of about 100 fellow professionals at the Marina Del Rey Marriott Hotel on November 12, 2005, psychologists Nicholas Cummings, Ph.D. and Rogers Wright, Ph.D. had much to say about the profession they had served throughout their long and distinguished careers — charging "intellectual arrogance and zealotry" within a profession that they say is now dominated by social-activist groups.

I haven't read this book, but I'm adding it to my list. I see this trend of political activists trying to hijack legitimate scientific investigation for political purposes (left and right) in everything from global warming to evolution to sexuality. It is just one more sign of the polarized times. I also think this harkens back to my observations about science in Publicly Funded Science, Global Warming, and Christian Responsibility.


Comments

One response to “Psychology Losing Scientific Credibility, Say APA Insiders”

  1. This is a problem mostly because it helps to dissolve the ability to speak of facts — or of research as if it were “the best available information”. It will have ripple effects because of the usage of research and expert testimony in court cases and in the wider culture as “appeal to authority”.
    I’m not sure whether it was ever the case, but it would be a good thing to have research done for the sake of gaining knowledge rather than in the pursuit of a particular agenda. Global warming is the tip of the iceburg here — every cultural political agenda has research to back it up.

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