The Myths of Pop Psychology

"A little learning is a dangerous thing.  

Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring, 

Where shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, 

And drinking largely sobers us again." 

- Alexander Pope, Essay on Criticism

Pop psychology, as opposed to the Real Deal, has a few myths to sustain it.  Well, a little mythology can be a good thing in some cases: look at the typical governmental budget!  Anyway, here's pop psychology's contribution of noise in the realm of lucid thought:

1.  Human beings are basically good.  (We have Jean-Jacques Rousseau to blame for this.  Not that Thomas Hobbes' pessimistic view of human nature is any more valid.)

2.  You cannot have too much self-esteem.  (Traipse off into the realm of unreality where no man or woman has ever gone before.  You too can be a Kardashian.)

3.  You shouldn't judge anyone.  (Yeah, even ax-murderers or child-molesters?)

4.  You cannot love others until you love yourself.  (Actually, the opposite is more likely to be true.)

5.  All guilt is bad.  (The concepts of sin, responsibility, or accountability are quaint notions accordingly.)

6.  It's better to express anger than to keep it in.  (In fact, expressing anger or listening routinely to angry messages tends to increase anger.)

7.  It's better to be extraverted than introverted.  (Either fall within the realm of normal behavior.  Extremes, such as found with the histrionic personality disorder or the schizoid personality disorder are not normal.)

8.  You should refrain from having inhibitions.  (Would that even involve doing naked twerking on the courthouse lawn?)

9.  The full moon causes craziness and crime.  (Just a folk belief; but it did give rise to the word lunatic.)

10.  Opposites attract.  (This is more a story line in movies than in reality.  I do not expect to hit it off with Taliban Johnny or ISIS Walter.)

11.  The insanity defense is often used by criminals to avoid execution or being sent to prison.   (Actually, this is seldom claimed, much less successfully used.  It may seem to be more common because of the prominence of some cases in which this is successfully claimed.)

12.  Some people have clairvoyance, precognition, or psychokinesis.  (Is the Law of Conservation of Energy suspended on holidays or for left handers?)