Is the scientific character of practical psychology necessary?

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In the synton approach, a scientific worldview is a mandatory basis, however, many psychologists, excellent professionals and practitioners, have a philosophical attitude to the requirement of scientificity: in their opinion, scientificity is not a very popular thing in practical psychology. Their position can be described as follows: “Someone needs reliance on facts, logical consistency, reproducibility of results and other scientific character — let them take care of it. If I only need a practical result, then God bless it, with scientificity, with logic, facts and reproducibility of results, we can do without scientificity, if only the person feels good.

This position has its own arguments. Indeed, who feels bad from the phrase “the Universe is friendly to us”? It is clear that in this phrase there is no more scientificity than in divination on coffee grounds. But if such a statement of an authoritative psychologist warms people, gives them confidence, then these are also positive results. If one of the clients deciphers such a phrase as “there are many people who are friendly towards us in the world,” then this, apparently, is all the more good.

Total: the installation is not scientific, but it is useful to use it. So is it worth it? The philosophical approach “pragmatism” formulates in this way: “that which is useful is true”. Useful means we believe and use.

And then — is it really important for us to be scientific in practical psychology? Is it needed in general in life and in practical psychology, as a part of life? What will happen if practical psychology does not care about its scientific nature? What will she become? Maybe it will only get better, more practical?

No, the requirement of scientificity in the work of a practical psychologist is the most long-term investment. Scientificness is important because it maintains order: order in the head of a psychologist, and hence order in his work.

If we agreed that being scientific is important and obligatory for us, we have some obligation to monitor the coherence and validity of our reasoning, and then the spell “Never apply to the registry office on Wednesday and Friday, nothing good will come of it!” will only make us smile.

If science is not important to us, then we find ourselves in a world without rules. Everything is possible in this world, but it will hardly please you: there are no landmarks here, a terrible pterodactyl can suddenly jump out from behind any corner, and your unbalanced neighbor can always easily distort your life, throwing her dark look in your direction and whispering what — some terrible words … Stay away from me, stay away!

When psychology ceases to care about scientificity, more freedom comes into it, more arbitrariness, and at the same time — the decline of culture. At the very least, the possibility of a decline in culture.

The world of natural science and the world of magic

Scientificity, as rational, is opposed by the irrational. The irrational is that which fundamentally does not fit into a reasonable head, which is inaccessible to the human mind.

“I wonder why the world was created so beautiful, what harmony is in every drop of water, the foliage is so amazingly noisy … And all this was created by chance? “It doesn’t fit in my head…”

But the irrational is not just inaccessible to our reason. This is what is significant in this world, what has weight, what interferes with our lives, although our mind is not subject to it. The presence of the irrational in the world is recognized by almost everyone, the question is about the place that is allocated to it. What determines it, how much it intervenes, who is stronger — us or It?

If the world for us is in the leash of laws, obeys the laws known to us and we have access to them, then we have a natural-scientific view of the world. “The universe is huge, but I am also big and strong.” This is the attitude of the owner, this is the self-awareness of the author of his life. If I am big and strong, then the Universe can be both friendly and hostile, I can cope with anyone. Perhaps the irrational exists, but it is small, and I am strong. I am strong because the world obeys the laws, and in my hands is Big Science.

Something big and strong always gives confidence — although, of course, let the Universe be friendly …

But there is another situation when a person is imbued with the feeling that there is much more irrational around us than it seems to a calm natural-science look. When we understood and felt that the irrational is stronger than us, that the world is controlled by something that is higher than us, that is not subject to ordinary laws, that magicians and egregors rule the world, and not at all small people with the laws of nature — this is our natural-scientific view of the world ends.

When our view of the world ceases to be scientific, the world around us becomes magical. Magical, that is, once wonderful, sometimes terrible, but we become small in front of these great powers, the Higher powers. And this is a new life situation. When the Higher powers appear, we cease to be the masters of this world. They already own the world, not us.

Higher power

Higher powers are not always bad. Parents for a child are also Higher powers, but they tell him that it’s time to get up, they cook breakfast for him, take care of him, protect him from the terrible neighbor’s dog and send him to school. These are the Higher forces that raise him as a future adult, help him grow up.

If the Higher Powers tell me that “I am big, I can” – these are the correct Higher Powers. With their authority, they raise my self-esteem, give me confidence, make me go forward and not lose heart in front of obstacles. And for a mass personality, for a person who is not strong, probably, faith in such Higher powers is good.

• The UNIVERSE is friendly.
• Our UNCONSCIOUS takes care of us.
• “LOVE will suddenly come, / When you don’t expect it at all, / And every evening will immediately become / So surprisingly good, and you will sing …”
• A person who feels his PURPOSE will cope with any difficulties.

But if parents, as the Higher powers, form a feeling of weakness in the child, accustom him to the fact that he himself cannot do his own homework, cook breakfast, or stroke the u.e.shki, develop in him a feeling of dependence: “Mom, don’t leave, I’m scared without you!”, such Higher powers stand in the way of the formation of a healthy and independent personality. Such a child will grow into an infantile, a man-child.

Remember who the infantiles are: these are adults with childish self-awareness. This is a man who cannot lift himself off the couch, because it is very difficult and above him. This is a girl who can not decide to go to the dentist, because it is terribly scary, because it can be painful. These are students who do not study anything during the semester, hoping that some miracle will happen during the session and they will be lucky … And if they are not lucky, then you can get upset, cry, then you will be pitied — and everything is fine again. You can even eat cake. These are infantiles.

What Higher Forces are widespread in today’s practical psychology?

• «The unconscious is bigger and stronger than our tiny consciousness.»

How our unconscious is friends with us, read Freud … No, not friends.

• «If you go against your own desires, you will get the hardest internal conflict and inevitably lose.»

You are small, you will lose.

• “Love is a great mysterious force that cannot be avoided and with which nothing can be done.”

And don’t you dare think.

• «Everyone has his Destiny.»

The one who is friends with her, Fate leads, and drags all the others. Take it easy, proud man.

• “Nothing in our life happens just like that: the world gives it to you for some reason.”

If you guess — well done, if you don’t guess — it’s worse for you.

• «Be attentive to the signs of Peace.»

Going against the signs is like writing against the wind.

• “Only by guessing and finding your Destiny (what the Higher powers intended you for), you can find your happiness.”

Believe and hope. Some are lucky.

All these attitudes, so widespread in modern practical psychology and psychotherapy, are the consequences of forgetting the scientific position. These are consequences of the fact that practical psychology has not yet decided to orient itself towards science.

Science, like a good mother, protects us from mistakes. Science, like a demanding dad, makes us think about what we say and do. We need science just as each of us needs childhood. An adult, developed, wise person can go beyond the limits of scientificity, he will use his freedom from scientificity for good. He, advising an insecure child, will come up with something completely unscientific, but the child will flourish and straighten his shoulders from this. Everything is possible for a great specialist, a conscious master. Is everything possible for everyone else?

No. All the rest are shown only scientific.

Total:

Since practical psychology is created for mass use by a mass contingent of psychologists, it makes sense to maintain the requirement of scientific character in the name of protection against the general decline of culture. At the same time, the more a specialist is developed, conscious and responsible, the more he is allowed to go beyond the scope of scientificity. He can.

The conclusion is not original, but the only promising one: our way is to study, study, and study!