The anti-feminist psychiatrist

Hannah points out that unlike other disciplines where discredited theories and approaches are usually discarded, psychology tends not to self-correct:

In psychology, however, bad ideas never die. Not only are discredited theories preserved, but psychology's popular appeal ensures that these simplistic, easy-to-believe ideas spread like lies that run around the world before the truth can get its shoes on.

And even when the truth emerges, psychobabble goes on its own sweet way. The conversation reminded me of an article I wrote nearly 25 years ago about "trauma vultures" – the teams of psychologists and counsellors making a living helping people deal with the impact of witnessing disasters, like school shootings, train disasters, earthquakes, motor accidents.

Their much promoted "trauma debriefing" was supposed to prevent lasting effects on their psychological health but it turned out that wasn't working. I wrote in 2007 about new guidelines stating that psychological debriefing should no longer be offered on a routine basis. Solid research had shown that venting inner turmoil immediately after a trauma is not only often unhelpful but can sometimes make things worse, increasing the likelihood of post-traumatic stress disorder.

The new guidelines suggested survivors of potentially traumatic events should be supported, and monitored over time to see who runs into problems. Most people who experience a traumatic event recover on their own with the help of family and friends.

That's what is supposed to happen. But the reality is the trauma vultures have simply rebadged themselves as offering "psychological first aid" and whenever there's a disaster the politicians invite them in to ply their wares. Having carved their way into disaster relief territory there's no way psychologists are going to give that up.

There are many areas where psychology is contributing greatly to human knowledge with valuable empirical work and I do still refer to some excellent, unbiased psychologists who have the expertise to genuinely help people in need. But it is alarming that this important discipline's professional bodies and university courses have fallen capture to ideology because they are indoctrinating the professionals of the future, including school counsellors, child experts in our courts, and policy makers who play such a vital role in shaping our society.