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Suave · 12-24-2004, 10:04 AM

Psychology is not replicable cross-culturally because the mind is formed through cultural internalization combined with (in my opinion) a very small amount of biology.

I consider psychology a science, because to my knowledge it DOES employ the scientific method. Any psychology that doesn't is not very relevant to the field. I'm in sociology, which is dead-set on using the scientific method, and if sociology does, I'd be very surprised if the vast majority of psychology didn't.

Your second query depends on how one defines a "science". If a science is just defined by use of the scientific method, then yes, psychology is equally a science to the natural and other social sciences. If it is based on the scientific "facts" being more solid and correct without exception, then mathematics and physics are by far the most "scientific, followed by chemistry and then biology. Psychology would be one of the least scientific of the sciences. It is also less straight-forward than the natural sciences in general, and while very open to interpretation, it can be argued (and I hold this opinion) that even the "hard" natural sciences are still very much open to and influenced by interpretation and bias, no matter the possible egotism of their communities in thinking that it's all objective.

Psychology's weakness is the trend toward neurology which is a biologically deterministic view of the mind. Behaviourally, it also fails to take into account the larger social context, and is a very incomplete science without the integration of sociology. It is also weak in that it is biased toward using the medical model to diagnose and treat "mental illness" despite many inconsistancies between the criteria of the medical model and those that the "illnesses" fit. I suppose in strength, psychology is a relatively easy science in which to perform experiments, as well as helping people, whether it uses the best way or not, who feel that they are mentally unbalanced. There are many other strengths and weaknesses, but I don't want to write a 5000 word dissertation on it, so I'll just leave it at this.

12-24-2004, 10:04 AM	#28 (permalink)
Suave Twitterpated Location: My own little world (also Canada)	Psychology is not replicable cross-culturally because the mind is formed through cultural internalization combined with (in my opinion) a very small amount of biology. I consider psychology a science, because to my knowledge it DOES employ the scientific method. Any psychology that doesn't is not very relevant to the field. I'm in sociology, which is dead-set on using the scientific method, and if sociology does, I'd be very surprised if the vast majority of psychology didn't. Your second query depends on how one defines a "science". If a science is just defined by use of the scientific method, then yes, psychology is equally a science to the natural and other social sciences. If it is based on the scientific "facts" being more solid and correct without exception, then mathematics and physics are by far the most "scientific, followed by chemistry and then biology. Psychology would be one of the least scientific of the sciences. It is also less straight-forward than the natural sciences in general, and while very open to interpretation, it can be argued (and I hold this opinion) that even the "hard" natural sciences are still very much open to and influenced by interpretation and bias, no matter the possible egotism of their communities in thinking that it's all objective. Psychology's weakness is the trend toward neurology which is a biologically deterministic view of the mind. Behaviourally, it also fails to take into account the larger social context, and is a very incomplete science without the integration of sociology. It is also weak in that it is biased toward using the medical model to diagnose and treat "mental illness" despite many inconsistancies between the criteria of the medical model and those that the "illnesses" fit. I suppose in strength, psychology is a relatively easy science in which to perform experiments, as well as helping people, whether it uses the best way or not, who feel that they are mentally unbalanced. There are many other strengths and weaknesses, but I don't want to write a 5000 word dissertation on it, so I'll just leave it at this. __________________ "Few people are capable of expressing with equanimity opinions which differ from the prejudices of their social environment. Most people are even incapable of forming such opinions." - Albert Einstein "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something." - Plato Last edited by Suave; 12-24-2004 at 10:08 AM..