One of the peculiar things about psychology and how
highly it is respected in the modern world, is that it does not even rise to
level of science, but it is treated as a science.
“There is something
insidious about the spectacular growth of psychology and the recent rise of its
power over mankind, both in the secular world and in the church. Psychology has
changed the world’s thinking and standards through what Gross points out is a
“new truth … fed to us continuously from birth to the grave”—a “truth” composed
of unproven and contradictory theories. In The Myth of Neurosis, British
psychiatrist Garth Wood bluntly charges that
… what has become big
business is in fact fraud. The evidence does not support the claims of
psychoanalysis and psychotherapy. … The situation is mind-boggling …
psychoanalysis has never been validated by the scientific method. …Of course,
many of us have known all along that psychoanalysis was scientifically
bankrupt. …
Why should the doctors who
dispense this “therapy” be immune from the attentions of the government
watchdogs who protect us from other scientifically disreputable “cures” …?
Untested and unproved [this “pill”] is dispensed by the unscientific for the
consumption of the unhappy.
Analyzing a cross section of
ideas presented at the Twenty-third International Psychoanalytic Congress in
Stockholm, Nobel laureate in medicine-physiology Sir Peter Medawar found “the
self-satisfied self-confidence in the importance of their insights [to be]
sinister.” After presenting examples of the unsupportable and wildly
imaginative “interpretations” of dreams and behavior that rivaled their
patients’ most bizarre fantasies, Sir Peter asked the embarrassing question:
“Where shall we find [in this congress] the evidence of hesitancy … that is
commonplace in an international congress of, say, physiologists or biochemists?
A lava-flow of ad hoc explanation pours over and around all difficulties. …”[1]
Psychology does not, and really cannot, rise to the level of science. There are some benefits that can be made from observing human behaviour and understanding general principles about how humanity works. But Psychology goes far beyond that and seeks to put forward explanations for who people are and why they do what they do deep inside the unsearchable depths of the conscious and so-called subconscious.
A Christian worldview speaks to this directly and reminds
us that only God knows the heart of man, “..for you, you only, know the hearts
of all the children of mankind…” (1 Kings 8:39). There is something about the
mind of man that is inscrutable to the human investigator, and because of the
divine source of the soul, there is something unquantifiable about how humans
think and act. There are generalities and commonalities, and patterns, but to
go beyond this will make someone a fool, especially of they delve into the why.
Sometimes people do not even understand the why of why they just did something
themselves.
So psychology is both a pseudo-science and a profession
that is doomed to never reach the level of science. So, why is it pushed so
ardently by our modern and secular culture? Because there is only one real competition for it, and that is the godly counsel of a minister, or trusted biblical
counsellor and our secular and godless culture cannot allow the church to have
that kind of influence over the way people think in our society. Psychology was
designed to replace the Church, and therefore, despite all of the evidence of it not being scientific, it must be granted that vaunted status so people will
turn to it instead of their priest or minister.
Even modern psychologists note this anti-Christian aspect
of the profession,
…Research psychiatrist
Thomas Szasz…called Freudianism “the clever and cynical destruction of the
spirituality of man, and its replacement by a positivistic ‘science of mind … ’
not merely a religion that pretends to be a science [but] a fake religion that
seeks to destroy true religion.”12 Another psychologist has written, “It
appears that certain of the most influential pioneers in American psychology
found in it an ideal vehicle for renouncing their own Christian upbringing in
the name of science.”13 Yet at the same time, Christian psychologists claim
that it is the ideal vehicle for enhancing God’s Word. Something has gone badly
amiss![2]
If you were to go to a handful of different
psychologists you would find that you were given an equal amount of different
insights and solutions, because each psychologist is responsible for determining
which school of psychology they want to follow and this will guide how they
understand your “mental illness” or neurosis and how you should be treated for it. There is no actual scientific method involved, only guesses based on training the therapist has done in dubious theories of how the human mind works.
Consider the case of a young woman who is living with a roommate
who is a close friend that she cherishes, but cannot stand to be around in the same
house for long periods. She has been in this situation for some time, but is under considerable
stress because of the situation, and is showing real signs of depression. One
psychologist might say she needs to speak to a psychiatrist about medication. Another
might refer her to a doctor for the same thing. Another might say that this is
going to take several years of therapy and guidance to work through these
issues. These sessions will cost $250 an hour, but there is a government rebate
plan that she can apply for, so that she only needs to pay $50 of each session. But a good friend might tell her for free, “It is time to get a new roommate or
move out.” Of course, a psychologist might have told her the same thing, but
not until after a session or two where they spend the time getting to know the
context and evaluating how to answer the question. But they have not applied a
scientific method to this situation, they have simply used their judgement and
there is no reason why the judgement of a good and godly friend could not be as
good or even often far superior.
How many millions are spent in our country by people both privately and with public tax dollars on this pseudoscientific profession?
In a secular culture people still need spiritual guidance and psychology fills that void for people. As long as the culture remains secular and as long as the Church does not seek to challenge its replacement, this miscarriage of knowledge and faux-science will continue, and people will continue to be fleeced in its name.
List of References
[1] Hunt,
Dave; McMahon, T. A.. Psychology and the Church: Critical Questions, Crucial
Answers (p. 79). The Berean Call. Kindle Edition.
[2][2]
Hunt, Dave; McMahon, T. A.. Psychology and the Church: Critical Questions,
Crucial Answers (p. 80). The Berean Call. Kindle Edition.
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