Popular psychology

The term popular psychology (frequently called pop psychology or pop psych), refers to concepts and theories about human mental life and behaviour that are purportedly based on psychology and that attain popularity amongst the general population.

The term is often derogatory, used to describe psychological concepts that are oversimplified, out of date, unproven, misunderstood or misinterpreted; however, the term may also be used to describe professionally-produced psychological knowledge, regarded by most experts as valid and effective, that is intended for use by the general public.

Types of Popular psychology
Popular psychology commonly takes the form of:


 * self help books, for example The Road Less Travelled, by M. Scott Peck;
 * advice dispensed through radio, TV, and print; for example Dear Abby and Dr. Phil;
 * myths such as "People use only about 5% of their brain's capacity" ;
 * concepts that may or may not have a basis in psychology, such as inner child, left brain / right brain, emotional intelligence, freudian slip, fight-or-flight response, enneagram, and self esteem;
 * public perceptions about psychological methodologies that have not been fully scientifically validated, such as neuro-linguistic programming;
 * urban legends such as "Psychologist B. F. Skinner raised his own daughter in a 'Skinner box' "

Popular psychology and Self-help
Popular psychology is an essential ingredient of the gigantic self help industry.

According to Fried and Schultis, criteria for a good self-help book include "claims made by the author as to the book's efficacy, the presentation of problem-solving strategies based on scientific evidence and professional experience, the clarity of the writing, the author's credentials and professional experience, and the inclusion of a bibliography."

Three potential dangers of self-help books are:
 * people may falsely label themselves as psychologically disturbed;
 * people may misdiagnose themselves and use material that deals with the wrong problem;
 * people may not be able to evaluate a program and may select an ineffective one;

Pop psychologists
Some figures/movements characterized at varying times as exponents of pop psychology include:


 * Lucinda Bassett
 * Melody Beattie
 * John Bradshaw
 * Tony Buzan
 * Edward De Bono
 * Wayne Dyer
 * Werner Erhard
 * L. Ron Hubbard / Scientology
 * David Icke
 * Phil McGraw ("Dr Phil")
 * Anthony Robbins