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Psychology Gone Wrong: The Dark Sides of Science and Therapy Paperback – February 20, 2015

by Tomasz Witkowski (Author), Maciej Zatonski (Author)

4.2 32 ratings

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Psychology Gone Wrong: The Dark Sides of Science and Therapy explores the dark sides of psychology, the science that penetrates almost every area of our lives. It must be read by everyone who has an interest in psychology, by all those who are studying or intend to study psychology, and by present and potential clients of psychotherapists. This book will tell you which parts of psychology are supported by scientific evidence, and which parts are simply castles built on sand. This is the first book which comprehensively covers all mistakes, frauds and abuses of academic psychology, psychotherapy, and psycho-business

Editorial Reviews

Review

Elizabeth Loftus, Distinguished Professor, University of California, Irvine and author of The Myth of Repressed Memory "Forbidden Psychology is a powerful and forceful effort to expose dangerous ideas in psychology that mascaraed as science. Readers who care about the problem of pseudoscience in psychology will love this book. And those who don't care really need to read it."

Susan Blackmore, Professor of Psychology and author of The Meme Machine "Do you need a therapist? Are you convinced there's something wrong with you and a wonderful new kind of psychotherapy will help - or that an ancient technique revealed for the first time will transform your life? If so, buy this informative and alarming book instead. 'Psychology Gone wrong' reveals the muddles, motivations and even the outright frauds that mean much of the popular psychology we consume is meaningless - and may even be harmful."

Scott O. Lilienfeld, Professor of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta "In this engaging and informative book, Tomasz Witkowski and Maciej Zatonski courageously take on the "dark side" of psychology, both within the hallowed halls of the academic world and the private walls of the psychotherapy room. In doing so, they expose the often neglected features of contemporary psychology that themselves require treatment. In this respect, their book is a helpful and much needed roadmap for forging a scientific psychology in the 21st century."

"I highly recommend this thoughtful and stimulating book to all. Not only should it be required reading for every psychologist and psychology student, but readers in general will benefit immensely as well, especially those who may be contemplating psychotherapeutic treatment. Its purview is broad, ranging from a penetrating examination of fundamental problems that plague academic psychological research to a critical analysis of the psychotherapy jungle, where pseudoscience thrives amongst the plethora of theories and practices offered to the public." -- Prof. James Alcock, York University

Harriet Hall, Science-Based Medicine "This is a well-referenced, well-reasoned book that is chock-full of information about the state of psychology today. It exposes a lot of dirty linen that would be of interest to any reader. I agree with James Alcock, Professor of Psychology at York University, whose back-cover blurb says it should be required reading for every psychologist and psychology student and anyone contemplating psychotherapy."

From the Author

Rouven Schäfer, SkeptikerThe authors are hard on various developments in psychology. It is their concern to clean the 'science house' of psychology. Thus, the book can also be understood as a declaration of their love to science.Prof. Michael Heap, Association for Skeptical Enquiry, LondonFor professional psychologists, students and anyone who needs a working knowledge of academic and applied psychology (which includes all skeptics) this is an important book and I thoroughly recommend it. Cleaningthe Augean Stables
The fact ofnaming and pointing out the pseudoscientific nonsense, exposing the sterilityof many theories and psychological practices, weighing the rationale forexistence of conceptions that led to creation of cultural and academic demons,showing the mechanisms of psychobusiness and its impact on gullible peopledesperately seeking help - all those things must expose Witkowski to jointcontempt of the powerful caste of priests of pseudoscientific religion thatemerged among more than a few areas of psychology.
Auhtor'sundertaking and his passionate work reaches far above the simple classificationand description of the current state of affairs. He does not only look at thecurrent psychological resources but also throws away everything that stronglysmells of scientific nonsense or intellectual baloney. -- Dr Roman Zawadzki, psychologist

From the Inside Flap

"Are you convinced by the latest claims for brain power, hypnosis, memory decline or the dangerous effects of video games? Are you tempted to waste money on a fancy new therapy and convinced that at least it can do no harm? Then read this book first and you may change your mind."
Prof. Susan Blackmore

"This book is well worth reading by all those who appreciate the skeptical attitude and want to develop critical thinking skills - such important in today's world flooded with informational noise and bombarding our brains from all sides. The book describes detailed analysis of abuses, dishonesties and frauds in some areas of psychology and related areas. This is not a book for psychologists only, it is a book for everybody who wants to progress their scientific thinking. There can never be enough skepticism and criticism."
prof. Czesław S. Nosal, psychologist

"The author had a simple goal that required enormous knowledge and determination: to reveal the areas of psychology and psychotherapy that promise results that can never be delivered. Witkowski wants to dismantle false claims and show that despite the abundance of pseudoscientific theories, increasing numbers of tinhorns and constant challenges to science - psychology remains a sound knowledge on human's behavior. (...) Such books are rare - publications that help to distinguish fraudsters from genuine therapists. It's reassuring that Tomasz Witkowski does not stop in his crusade against superstitions and stands for those who consider psychotherapy and for the good name of psychology as a science."
Jakub Winiarski, Wiedza i życie

"You might choose to agree of disagree with Tomasz Witkowski, but you cannot choose to ignore him. This book is definitely worth reading carefully! Enfant terrible of Polish social sciences devoted this entire volume to contemplate the miserable condition of psychology."
prof. Dariusz Doliński, social psychologist

"Psychology Gone Wrong" sketches a dark picture of intellectual abuse, scientific misconduct that harms - sometimes irreversibly - those who are seeking help. Civilizational changes in recent years brought an increase of scientific swindles not only in social sciences. We celebrate the anniversary of the cold fusion scandal, while renowned journals (like Science and Nature) recently were force to retract several publications on miraculous microelectronic findings. All those scientific sins, hidden in the shadows, must be brought to daylight.
prof. Łukasz Turski, physicist

About the Author

Dr Tomasz Witkowski is a psychologist and science writer. He is the founder of the Polish Skeptics Club and specializes in debunking pseudoscience, particularly in the field of psychology, psychotherapy, and diagnosis. He is the author of numerous books dozens of scientific papers and over 100 popular articles (some of them are published in Skeptical Inquirer). As an expert in science-pseudoscience issues, he is frequently called by the media to comment on frauds and abuses witnessed in psychology, psychotherapy and other areas of scientific activity. In 2010 awarded as a Rationalist of the Year in Poland.
Dr. Maciej Zatonski is a surgeon and researcher, known for debunking unscientific therapies and claims in clinical medicine. He is actively involved in encouraging people to trust in scientifically proven therapies rather than trusting fairies, myths, and tricksters. He is also a founder of the Polish Skeptics Club and a leader in public understanding of science in Poland. His struggles to clean up medical curricula from obsolete or bogus therapies was recently noted by the Polish Academy of Sciences. Zatonski is also known for promoting evolution and evolutionary sciences. He is an author of over 30 scientific papers, and over 40 popular science articles.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Universal Publishers (February 20, 2015)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1627345280
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1627345286
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15.2 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.69 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,867,503 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,928 in Medical Counseling
- #4,404 in Popular Psychology Counseling
- #6,854 in History & Philosophy of Science (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.2 32 ratings

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Tomasz Witkowski
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Tomasz Witkowski, Ph.D, is a psychologist, science writer, skeptic and the author, co-author and editor of several dozen science papers, several hundred popular science articles and fourteen books. Witkowski’s previous books include "Psychology Gone Wrong" and "Psychology Led Astray". He publishes in Areo Magazine, Skeptical Inquirer, BPS Research Digest and Science-Based Medicine. He is the founder of the Polish Skeptics Club and specializes in debunking pseudoscience, particularly in the field of psychology, psychotherapy, and diagnosis. As an expert in science-pseudoscience issues, he is frequently called by the media to comment on frauds and abuses witnessed in psychology, psychotherapy and other areas of scientific activity. In 2010 awarded as a Rationalist of the Year in Poland. In 2020 he won a Science Activist of the 2019 prize in Poland.
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Maciej Zatonski
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Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.
Dr. Maciej Zatonski is a surgeon and researcher, known for debunking unscientific therapies and claims in clinical medicine. He is actively involved in encouraging people to trust in scientifically proven therapies rather than trusting fairies, myths, and tricksters. He is also a founder of the Polish Skeptics Club and a leader in public understanding of science in Poland. His struggles to clean up medical curricula from obsolete or bogus therapies was recently noted by the Polish Academy of Sciences. Zatonski is also known for promoting evolution and evolutionary sciences. He is an author of over 30 scientific papers, and over 40 popular science articles.
See more on the author's page

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Ewa Gul
Not exactly a book on psychology... fascinating nevertheless!
Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2015
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I have ordered this book via Amazon after reading the shorts at the back cover. They seemed to come from all the right people. And they did not disappoint. The book is relatively easy to read (despite fact-heavy content) and if you are - like me - interested in psychology and/or science - you will read it it one afternoon. I have one reservation - this is not a book about psychology. Or at least not only. This is a book about science. I particularly liked how authors pinpoint the deficiencies of clinical transparency. Authors do not only criticize various issues. Almost always all the criticism is followed by a proposed solution(s). You might agree or disagree with them - but it makes you think about the issues they discuss. Some parts are harsh - especially for those who used services of therapists in the past. But it is hard to disagree with many points authors made. Book is well referenced. There is a dedicated blog and a fan-page where you can discuss, ask questions and follow-up on many topics covered in this book. Long story short: this book stands out, makes you think, is enjoyable to read. And it continues to live on-line. Love it.

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13 people found this helpful

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John Mulak
This book is so much more than just another book on psychology.
Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2015
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This book is so much more than just another book on psychology.
Have you read all self-help books on Amazon? Surprised your life still sucks? Have you been seeing a therapist with your spouse and are wondering why it’s not getting any better? Is there something really wrong with you? Or is there something wrong with modern psychology?

This book will give you answers to all those questions. You might not like what you learn, but if you have every asked yourself any of the questions above – you should read it now…

I want to thank the authors for putting this together. I love it and recommend this book to everyone – not only those troubled. It’s a great journey through the modern world of marketing and a history of manipulation. Well done!

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12 people found this helpful

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catsandcows
Memorable. Healthy.
Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2018
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I remember feeling extraordinarily vindicated after reading this. As other reviewers have noted, the English translation is poor. I'm not very good at reading (I think most of my "reading" consists of daydreaming), but this is one of the best psychology books of any kind I've encountered.

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2 people found this helpful

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Lmeta
The importance of inquiry into research that DOESN'T confirm your bias
Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2015
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As a clinical social worker, working in behavioral health and having a practice of my own, I recommend that everyone in the field of psychology and social work read this book. I spend a good amount of my time educating people on the limits of this field of practice and a great deal of my own time reading about evidence-based treatments such as cognitive and behavioral therapy in an effort to help my clients, which is what I got into this business to do. I was a subscriber of the Scientific Review of Mental Health Practice and was disappointed to learn they are not continuing to research this field due to funding. As a clinical social worker, part of my role is to inform my clients about the limits of the field, and now I have more to offer them. Thank you.

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10 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer
Definitely not an easy read. If you seek entertainment
Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2016
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Definitely not an easy read. If you seek entertainment, stay away. If you seek enlightenment, this book is for you.

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One person found this helpful

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JDS
Great Content, But Disastrous Editing and Translation tThat Seriously Compromises the Book
Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2016
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Psychology Gone Wrong offers some immensely valuable insights about the ways that psychology is in many ways not a science but an industry, and offers some useful insights about some possible correctives. This book would be particularly useful for persons involved with therapy or counseling, to help them see through the jargon and false promises of the mental health industries. Sadly, the book is seriously compromised by abysmally bad translation from the Polish, and from an horrific failure of even the most rudimentary editing. I suspect that the translation was done either by computer program or by someone who thought their English was better than it actually is. Every page is filled with massive grammatical and syntactical errors. Some of these are simply amusing, but many of them seriously obscure the meaning of the text to the point that some sections are unintelligible. This book desperately needs a new edition that is overseen by persons who can translate and edit at a professional level.

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12 people found this helpful

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Ezra Newman
It exposes the great deal of fraud and pseudoscience found in psychology - ...
Reviewed in the United States on August 10, 2015
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This is truly a remarkable book - an analysis of three aspects of contemporary psychology - academic psychology, psychoanalysis and psychology as a business. It reads very well and is completely documented/referenced and fascinating. It exposes the great deal of fraud and pseudoscience found in psychology - a very informative and worthwhile read.

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3 people found this helpful

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Kelly Green
Suspicians Confirmed
Reviewed in the United States on August 14, 2015
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As a former graduate student in psychology at a major research University, I can file much of the information in Psychology Gone Wrong in the file titled "Suspicions Confirmed". Most of the reputable data on Psychoanalysis is non existent. Most of the data on learning behavior and personality development is from work with college sophomores and rats. Recent results linking most, if not all, mental illness with aberrant brain chemistry is much more reliable.
The book was very helpful, and unmasks many fraudulent or unproven psychoanalytical approaches.

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9 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

sharon l grant
Highly recommend it
Reviewed in Canada on August 5, 2017
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Well write, yet easy to read. Fascinating subject, well researched and up to date.

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Christine A. Sutherland
Even worse than I suspected
Reviewed in Australia on December 14, 2022
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I cannot describe how much I like and respect this incredibly important book. As a clinical researcher I spend considerable time reading and analysing reports and clinical studies and for over 20 years have been dismayed at the poor quality of psychology research generally, and the fact that so much of it actually makes it to the coalface of therapy despite being utterly useless.

Witkowski and Zatonski comprehensively blowtorch the junk that has polluted psychotherapy since the beginning, and continues to this day, scrupulously citing only the highest quality research and analyses in order to demonstrate conclusively the incredible damage that's been done not just to the profession, but to clients and the entire community.

This text should be required reading and intensive study in psychology 101, prior to literally anything else. Perhaps then we stand a chance that a psych degree will mean something, that research will not be so pitifully incompetent, and that graduates will not hit the ground quite so gullible and ill informed.

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CSPike
Excellent and informative book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 15, 2016
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Excellent and informative book, written with passion. While I may not agree with all the authors' opinions or conclusions, I respect the fact that they write from a viewpoint that values objective truth and empirical evidence, even in the face of extreme criticism from their academic peers. I await the next book with eager anticipation!

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C.J. de Jong
A must read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 4, 2015
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Every psychologist and journalist writing on this subject should read this book: it's excellent! It explains what is wrong with (some of) the research in psychology and what should be done to improve the quality of research.

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little punk jilly
Excellent excellent excellent love it
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 7, 2015
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Excellent excellent excellent love it!!! :) its defiantly a must have if you have a passion and interest for psychology its exactly as described but better!!!!!!! very very very happy thank you!!!! :) x

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