Is the pseudoscience concept useful for clinical psychology? The demise of pseudoscience

Talented entrepreneurs have been developing and marketing novel therapeutic methods, some touted as veritable miracle cures for diverse complaints. This phenomenon has caught the attention of scientist-practitioners in psychology, many of whom criticize these approaches as “pseudoscientific.” The purpose of this essay is to sketch a simpler, alternative approach to debunking dubious methods in clinical psychology. When therapeutic entrepreneurs make claims on behalf of their interventions, we should not waste our time trying to determine whether their interventions qualify as pseudoscientific. Rather, we should ask them: How do you know that your intervention works? What is your evidence?

Journal

English

Richard J. McNally

McNally, R. J. (2003, Fall-Winter). Is the pseudoscience concept useful for clinical psychology?The demise of pseudoscience. The Scientific Review of Mental Health Practice, 2(2)