PT Blogs: Pop Goes Psychology II

Last issue, PT's bloggers (psychology today.com/blog) deflated some oft-cited pop psych. They had so much to say, we're offering a second installment.

Bullies Have Small Egos

People often assume aggression is derived from low self-esteem. However, violent criminals typically think more highly of themselves than most other people do. Aggression often occurs when someone challenges these favorable self-views. —Melissa Burkley (The Social Thinker)

Narcissists Are More Successful

Many people believe that self-confidence, even self-centeredness, is necessary for success. Yet narcissistic people are actually less successful in the long run because they set unrealistic goals, take too many risks, and alienate others. —Jean Twenge (The Narcissism Epidemic)

Obesity Is a Body Problem

People with "fat genes" have a slow metabolism, right? New research shows that genes cause obesity mostly by guiding eating behavior. —Susan Carnell (Bad Appetite)

Trauma Requires Counseling

Evidence shows that prompting people to relive a recent trauma by talking about it or by visualizing the event may actually provoke posttraumatic stress disorder, not prevent it. —Susan Pinker (The Open Mind)

Unconditional PraiseIs Good

Telling kids they're wonderful in every way, no matter what they do, is a bad idea. What's missing is the relationship between behaviors and consequences, and the sense of achievement that comes from doing something difficult. Taking on a challenge and succeeding at it gives kids a sense of earned merit, rather than just "I must be great because people tell me I am." —Jefferson Fish (Looking in the Cultural Mirror)

You Know Yourself Best

We like to think nobody knows us better than we know ourselves, but in several studies, friends were able to predict people's behavior as well as—and in some cases better than—those people could predict their own. —Simine Vazire (Know Thyself)

Therapy Is a Long Process

Studies of brief and solution-focused therapies show significant results after as few as two sessions. Even therapies that are designed to be long-term show their greatest effectiveness within the first few months of treatment. —Margarita Tarragona (Psicología y Bienestar)

Subliminal Ads Work

Many people fear that subliminal advertising can influence us to buy products we wouldn't otherwise purchase. Such claims are based upon unwarranted extrapolation from the findings of controlled studies of subliminal perception. A widely cited study from the 1950s was completely fictional! —Chris French (Weird Science)

Pop Gun Fight

Recently two PT bloggers debated the value of pop culture.

• The only way to find real connection is by immersing ourselves in our own lives and the people and activities that mean something to us, rather than turning to the contrived—and ultimately unsatisfying—meaning that popular culture tries to sell us. —Jim Taylor (The Power of Prime)
• If we consider popular culture banal, it certainly seems meaningless, even potentially destructive. However, if instead we recognize that it is an expression of our collective experiences, its importance becomes more clear. —Lawrence Rubin (Popular Culture Meets Psychology)