PSYCHOMYTHOLOGY- Series on Popular Myths about Psychology- 5

Myth No. 5. Reading self-development books, or for that matter a book on psychology does not make one a psychologist!  

Psychology is a discipline that has ‘n’ number of scientific theories and researches. Since it’s a social science it’s open to more than a single truth unlike other sciences, which is more or less absolute. By Self-development books, one can learn Popular Psychology and the opinions of the authors only. By reading a few books on psychology one gets a sneak peek into the field. If reading ‘a’ book on medicine, makes you a doctor, or on physics makes you a physicist, then reading a book on psychology can definitely make you a psychologist!

When one learns Psychology, it is necessary to have a professional who has better exposure to the subject and its practices to guide you. A proper course and practical exposure teaches you alternatives to a problem/behavior whereas a single book holds very few takes on a particular sub- field. There is also a very great chance for it to be misinterpreted. I’m not against self development books, I have read and still read a lot, they do help, they simplify things, I’m just saying ‘just reading’ doesn’t make one an expert. Also simplifying things may help you understand things better, but oversimplification of something doesn’t help, rather it gives you a false air of knowledge. I have been studying psychology for more than 10 years now, and frankly despite my degrees and experience I still have a long way to go. Causes after all let’s face it this is the human mind we are talking about! There are ‘n’ numbers of possibilities and my learning unfortunately will end only the day I die. Even then I’m sure I would not complete my education in this field. And that’s exactly why I’m in love with it!

Thus ends the series on Myths on psychology/PSYCHOMYTHOLOGY. Thanks for reading, supporting, liking and sharing. If there are more myths that any of you need me to cover kindly let me know via a comment, message.

 From the next week, there will be new articles, on other areas, like I said, this journey into psychology never ends 🙂