The Growth of a Unified Scientific Psychology Ordeal by Quackery

Abstract

It is suggested that all sciences pass through periods of demarcation difficul­ ties, wherein science and superstition, fact and fiction, testable theory and arbitrary spec­ ulation confront each other. This ordeal by quackery finally resulted in divorce of astronomy from astrology, of chemistry from alchemy, and of physics from metaphysics. Psychology is still in a stage during which such a demarcation is difficult to make and experimental psychology, psychometrics, behavioral genetics, learning theory, and other attempts to make psychology into a true science are confronted by pseudosciences like psychoanalysis, hermeneutics, existentialism, and other similar movements that are es­ sentially hostile to scientific study of human behavior. Even within scientific group there are fissiparous tendencies preventing achievement of a unified science; these are discussed in some detail, and suggestions are made as to how they could be overcome. It is concluded that a unified, paradigmatic science of psychology is possible only by exclusion of nonscientific groups, beliefs and concepts and by greater tolerance within scientific group of different approaches. 1. Psychology's Two Cultures Kimble (1984), writing about psychology's two cultures, pointed out that psychology has an identity problem. As he noted, after more than a century of official existence psychology still lacks a coherent set of values. There is little harmony among different groups of psychologists engaged in different spe­ cialized disciplines, and there is even debate over definition of our subject matter. Koch (1981) and Staats (1981), dealing with same problem, also recognized fragmented quality of contemporary psychology. Koch believes it impossible for a single, unified psychology to emerge and suggests that the

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