• Welcome to Religious Forums, a friendly forum to discuss all religions in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Access to private conversations with other members.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

Psych Students or Psychology Majors?

Dr. Nosophoros

Active Member
My daughter has a masters degree in Psychology and has her own practice yet she still cannot get around too well without her GPS. I try to tell her that one needs to know more than "take the next exit in 3.2 miles" "please slow down" etc. etc. and try to educate her with street names and map reading so she could get around without such devices-to no avail
 

Kilgore Trout

Misanthropic Humanist
My daughter has a masters degree in Psychology and has her own practice yet she still cannot get around too well without her GPS. I try to tell her that one needs to know more than "take the next exit in 3.2 miles" "please slow down" etc. etc. and try to educate her with street names and map reading so she could get around without such devices-to no avail

Why do you need to get around without such devices if you have such devices?
 

Darkness

Psychoanalyst/Marxist
Psych major here...

I am trying not to sound like a total jerk, but I find your major surprising, considering you are a Christian Fundamentalist (if my memory serves me correctly). Psychology is essentially a progressive field.
 
A

angellous_evangellous

Guest
Why do you need to get around without such devices if you have such devices?

You need to know the basics when the lights go out. Devices fail for a number of reasons.

It's like actually learning a foreign language rather than relying on translation software. You don't know the language so you don't know if the translation is correct, and you can't answer any questions that someone may have.

If one doesn't know one's way around, you don't know if the GPS instructions are correct - the programs are getting better, but they aren't perfect.
 

Mister Emu

Emu Extraordinaire
Staff member
Premium Member
I am trying not to sound like a total jerk, but I find your major surprising, considering you are a Christian Fundamentalist (if my memory serves me correctly). Psychology is essentially a progressive field.
I understand the surprise, and yes, your memory is fine. Though, I'd like to add that my understanding of fundamentalist is likely a little different than yours. I'm not a fundamentalist evangelical.

That said, I don't believe that psychology is in and of itself "progressive", if I am understanding the term as you use it(not something that progresses but to have a certain social viewpoint). Facts are neither conservative nor progressive, they just are.
 

Darkness

Psychoanalyst/Marxist
I understand the surprise, and yes, your memory is fine. Though, I'd like to add that my understanding of fundamentalist is likely a little different than yours. I'm not a fundamentalist evangelical.

That said, I don't believe that psychology is in and of itself "progressive", if I am understanding the term as you use it(not something that progresses but to have a certain social viewpoint). Facts are neither conservative nor progressive, they just are.

Well, I was referring to social progressivism. It is the opposite of social conservatism which primarily looks to the past for guidance (e.g. old Holy Books). I love the Wiki definition: "Social progressivism is the view that social norms and moral values are not fixed throughout history and should be revised as new scientific knowledge (particularly about human nature) and critical inquiry changes social views of society and culture." One instance of new scientific knowledge about human nature is that homosexuality is not dangerous. Originally, the discipline of psychology believed it to be harmful and indicative of a whole host of criminal traits, but revised that assessment. I do not want to sound like I am condemning you for studying psychology (because it is such as an interesting field and I wish I had the time and money to take some psych. classes), but how do you reconcile what the psychology discipline has discovered with your religious beliefs? It kind of seems like a creationist becoming an evolutionary biologist. Maybe I just have a different perspective from living in the Northeast.
 

Mister Emu

Emu Extraordinaire
Staff member
Premium Member
Well, I was referring to social progressivism.
Of course, which is as I presumed.

how do you reconcile what the psychology discipline has discovered with your religious beliefs?
So far I haven't come across anything where reconciliation is necessary.

It kind of seems like a creationist becoming an evolutionary biologist. Maybe I just have a different perspective from living in the Northeast.
I have yet to come across a situation wherein my beliefs are in contrast to psychological fact like creationism/evolution.
 

Pharrell

Omnipresent
Psychology has got to be the easiest degree you can get. Not knocking anyone with a Psyc degree but I find most so-called " Psychologists " to be quacks. I've been around them long enough to know that getting their degree had to have been a cake walk. Most that I've been around are total Airheads ( Nothing Going On Upstairs ) and a total disgrace to their "profession". I'm sure there are some pretty smart pyschologsist out there but I've yet to meet one. And, yes, I've been around them for a good 3 years so far. I don't have a degree in Psychology, but, I know I've been around them long enough to know that I could easily get a Masters in it with ease.

Psychiatrists are even worse. Every Psychiatrist that I've been around is from India and they can't even speak good english yet some how managed to get a job in America. Not being racist or anything but I find it rather pathetic. All their job takes is asking a few simple questions: Hearing any voices ? Feeling Depressed ? Feeling like harming yourself or others ?

Well, if you're depressed, why we have many anti-depressants to put you on! Here - we'll try giving you 20 MG of Paxil! If that doesn't work we'll up the dose or switch you to another. Hearing voices, are you ? Well lets start you off on 20 MG of Abilify. What a joke. Psychiatrists think medications are the answer to everything.

Sighs... and they get paid so much money for doing next to nothing. Something is wrong with that picture... :facepalm:
 

doppelganger

Through the Looking Glass
I am trying not to sound like a total jerk, but I find your major surprising, considering you are a Christian Fundamentalist (if my memory serves me correctly). Psychology is essentially a progressive field.
Depends on the campus and the orientation of the program. There are plenty of psych degrees pushed out as part of "Christian counseling" programs that bear little resemblance to the therapeutic aspects of the social science of psychology and look a lot more like a method of taking advantage of their wounds to proselytize the damaged.
 

TheKnight

Guardian of Life
Well, I was referring to social progressivism. It is the opposite of social conservatism which primarily looks to the past for guidance (e.g. old Holy Books). I love the Wiki definition: "Social progressivism is the view that social norms and moral values are not fixed throughout history and should be revised as new scientific knowledge (particularly about human nature) and critical inquiry changes social views of society and culture." One instance of new scientific knowledge about human nature is that homosexuality is not dangerous. Originally, the discipline of psychology believed it to be harmful and indicative of a whole host of criminal traits, but revised that assessment. I do not want to sound like I am condemning you for studying psychology (because it is such as an interesting field and I wish I had the time and money to take some psych. classes), but how do you reconcile what the psychology discipline has discovered with your religious beliefs? It kind of seems like a creationist becoming an evolutionary biologist. Maybe I just have a different perspective from living in the Northeast.

Or perhaps what you call fact and what is actually fact are two different things. I've often found that many opinions of the non or anti religious tend to place far more into "facts" which they feel discredit religion or at least that which they perceive religion to be.

For instance, the example you gave regarding homosexuality. You say that the discipline of psychology once believed it to be harmful and indicative of a whole host of criminal traits. Why would that be problematic unless you also believed that Christian fundamentalism, the terminology you used to describe Mister Emu's beliefs, teaches that homosexuality is harmful and indicative of criminal traits?

In actuality, Christianity teaches that homosexual sexual behavior is unacceptable for those who desire to live a life of dedication to God within the Christian model. It does not, however, place any special condemnation on those who are homosexuals.

That being said, perhaps the fact that at one time such a prejudice existed towards homosexuality had more to do with social rejection of homosexuals and a shared social perception that homosexuals were harmful or hosts to criminal traits. IN fact, the APA itself says this on its website:

APA said:
In the past, the studies of gay, lesbian, and bisexual people involved only those in therapy, thus biasing the resulting conclusions.

Incorrect psychological conclusions about LGBT people came from studies being conducted incorrectly, which is not necessarily the result of religious belief, but something that happens all the time.

The APA site states that the APA does not view homosexuality as a mental disorder, a sickness, or as being harmful. Why would that be problematic for a Christian fundamentalist? Christianity doesn't say that it is any of those things unless you equate "unacceptable" with "harmful".

Psychology has got to be the easiest degree you can get. Not knocking anyone with a Psyc degree but I find most so-called " Psychologists " to be quacks. I've been around them long enough to know that getting their degree had to have been a cake walk. Most that I've been around are total Airheads ( Nothing Going On Upstairs ) and a total disgrace to their "profession". I'm sure there are some pretty smart pyschologsist out there but I've yet to meet one. And, yes, I've been around them for a good 3 years so far. I don't have a degree in Psychology, but, I know I've been around them long enough to know that I could easily get a Masters in it with ease.

Psychiatrists are even worse. Every Psychiatrist that I've been around is from India and they can't even speak good english yet some how managed to get a job in America. Not being racist or anything but I find it rather pathetic. All their job takes is asking a few simple questions: Hearing any voices ? Feeling Depressed ? Feeling like harming yourself or others ?

Well, if you're depressed, why we have many anti-depressants to put you on! Here - we'll try giving you 20 MG of Paxil! If that doesn't work we'll up the dose or switch you to another. Hearing voices, are you ? Well lets start you off on 20 MG of Abilify. What a joke. Psychiatrists think medications are the answer to everything.

Sighs... and they get paid so much money for doing next to nothing. Something is wrong with that picture... :facepalm:

:facepalm::facepalm::facepalm:

Your post is a prime example of sheer ignorance. I would comment on the aspects of it which make your ignorance obvious, but the posts speaks for itself.
 

Darkness

Psychoanalyst/Marxist
theKnight said:
Or perhaps what you call fact and what is actually fact are two different things. I've often found that many opinions of the non or anti religious tend to place far more into "facts" which they feel discredit religion or at least that which they perceive religion to be.

For instance, the example you gave regarding homosexuality. You say that the discipline of psychology once believed it to be harmful and indicative of a whole host of criminal traits. Why would that be problematic unless you also believed that Christian fundamentalism, the terminology you used to describe Mister Emu's beliefs, teaches that homosexuality is harmful and indicative of criminal traits?

In actuality, Christianity teaches that homosexual sexual behavior is unacceptable for those who desire to live a life of dedication to God within the Christian model. It does not, however, place any special condemnation on those who are homosexuals.

I have debated enough Christian anti-gay people to know that a majority of them do not feel homosexuality wrong merely because it shows a lack of dedication to God. That is such a Jewish thing for you to say, and I mean that as a compliment. For instance, the Jewish people I am friends with do not have a problem with Gentiles eating Pork and Shellfish, because they feel that is only wrong if you made a religious commitment to God. If Christian Fundamentalists thought there was nothing psychologically wrong with homosexuality, then there should be no basis for forbidding same-sex marriage or same-sex couples adopting children.
 
Top