Does modern psychology inhibit personal growth?

Can you describe any ways in which modern psychology inhibits personal growth? For instance, I'm reading a book about Steve Jobs right now, and he got into a lot of trouble in his early elementary school years because he was extremely smart and bored from lack of stimulation. When the school complained to his father, he blamed them for not keeping his son's mind stimulated, which I agree with. This was in the 60's. I actually knew a young boy in the 90's who had the same problem, and his teachers suggested he go on Ritilin and then wanted to hold him back a grade. His mother pulled him from that school and sent him to a school for exceptional learners and he really thrived.

I'm not an expert on psychology, but do know that there's a disorder for just about everything nowadays, and instead of working through problems, you can take some pills or find some other way of side tracking it. I do believe there are instances where medication is needed, but I also think that there are probably way too many cases of people side stepping reality and their maturity in the process because they don't want to or don't know how to take on the real problem. Any thoughts?

Any social "science" or humanities... is complete and utter trash.

celticwar17 said:

Any social "science" or humanities... is complete and utter trash.

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Why do you believe that?

I dont know. All I know is that a common cure for many of these "disorders" is a good belt to the ****ing ass.

celticwar17 said:

Any social "science" or humanities... is complete and utter trash.

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Yeah! Screw history, geography, literature, law, linguistics -- all TRASH! If you ain't using a drill press, you ain't ****!

Luftwaffe said:

I dont know. All I know is that a common cure for many of these "disorders" is a good belt to the ****ing ass.

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That's an awfully learned declaration from someone still in high school.

I can say for a fact that it has inhibited growth in my left leg and foot. It's too late now, but I hold Carl Jung personally responsible. My left leg developed doubts it never completely overcame. Injuries had something to do with it, but one would think that over time such things could be safely put in the past without lingering effect.

Kobie said:

That's an awfully learned declaration from someone still in high school.

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It was "passed down" to me from my dad

Luftwaffe said:

It was "passed down" to me from my dad

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That's great. Pretty awesome that your dad's cure for mental illness is to beat it out of people. Real top-notch parenting.

Kobie said:

Yeah! Screw history, geography, literature, law, linguistics -- all TRASH! If you ain't using a drill press, you ain't ****!

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I like those .... for the most part, and yea, some of those are handled like trash in modern universities.

Not sure much in the OP qualifies as something to dismiss all of modern psychology, as mistakes and over-prescription use is prevalent throughout the medical industry (key word, industry.)

The good news is there has been enough debate over ADHD to spill over into usage of various medicines where it may not be really treating the underline issues, another issue where in our efforts to combat the symptoms we ignore the real problem. That is usually a combination of factors including the pharmaceutical industry, who themselves have a habit of marketing a solution to symptoms as that speaks to profit business modeling far more than curing some actual medical issue. That transcends just mental health issues but plenty of other physical health disciplines as well (like neurology and endocrinology for example.)

The other good news is modern psychology has been forced to evolve as we obtain new understandings from various studies, and we know that is evident as we have evolved in just 10-20 years on this matter of diagnosing and handling ADHD. The most modern DSM guides on this subject are different than earlier versions covering everything from "Diagnostic Criteria" in number of items in a checklist to ensure proper diagnosis, to the new standards for "clear evidence that the symptoms interfere with, or reduce the quality of, social, academic, or occupational functioning" as a means to handling severity of the problem when it comes to pharmaceutical solutions. The general idea being lessen the usage of symptom handling medications, and look to other reasons for the problem in hope of a different outcome and less pill based dependency for basic social function.

With that it stands to reason that if Steve Jobs were a kid today how his condition would be addressed would be very different than it was back then.

Kobie said:

That's great. Pretty awesome that your dad's cure for mental illness is to beat it out of people. Real top-notch parenting.

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Hmmm yes, conflating disciplining with beating is hilarious.

I assume you think anything more than a "time out" is child abuse warranting an arrest?

celticwar17 said:

I like those .... for the most part, and yea, some of those are handled like trash in modern universities.

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TRANSLATED: They don't teach them the way I want them to!

Luftwaffe said:

Hmmm yes, conflating disciplining with beating is hilarious.

I assume you think anything more than a "time out" is child abuse warranting an arrest?

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I don't think beating your kids into submission is quality parenting.

Kobie said:

I don't think beating your kids into submission is quality parenting.

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Depends. To be honest. Depends.

OrphanSlug said:

Not sure much in the OP qualifies as something to dismiss all of modern psychology, as mistakes and over-prescription use is prevalent throughout the medical industry (key word, industry.)

The good news is there has been enough debate over ADHD to spill over into usage of various medicines where it may not be really treating the underline issues, another issue where in our efforts to combat the symptoms we ignore the real problem. That is usually a combination of factors including the pharmaceutical industry, who themselves have a habit of marketing a solution to symptoms as that speaks to profit business modeling far more than curing some actual medical issue. That transcends just mental health issues but plenty of other physical health disciplines as well (like neurology and endocrinology for example.)

The other good news is modern psychology has been forced to evolve as we obtain new understandings from various studies, and we know that is evident as we have evolved in just 10-20 years on this matter of diagnosing and handling ADHD. The most modern DSM guides on this subject are different than earlier versions covering everything from "Diagnostic Criteria" in number of items in a checklist to ensure proper diagnosis, to the new standards for "clear evidence that the symptoms interfere with, or reduce the quality of, social, academic, or occupational functioning" as a means to handling severity of the problem when it comes to pharmaceutical solutions. The general idea being lessen the usage of symptom handling medications, and look to other reasons for the problem in hope of a different outcome and less pill based dependency for basic social function.

With that it stands to reason that if Steve Jobs were a kid today how his condition would be addressed would be very different than it was back then.

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I'm not attempting to dismiss all of modern psychology, just asking for examples within modern psychology. And Jobs didn't have a "condition" in my opinion, his teachers didn't understand how best to teach him. He did have a teacher a little later on who bribed him with a lolipop and a little cash to complete a project and he did it right away. She also, a little later, bought him a hobby kit, which he loved! This went on until Jobs simply completed his work to please her since he loved and respected her so much for understanding him. She eventually had him tested and moved forward a grade so that it would be a little more challenging to him.

The moral of the story isn't to bribe a smart kid to behave with money but to understand the difference between a gift and an illness and how to bring out one's potential rather than extinguishing it with pills and punishment.

The War On boys uses modern psychology.

That's how it harms people. As one example.

as another psychologist until o was changed for the DSMV IV believed that homosexuality was a mental disorder.

psychology was never meant to be a tool of oppression, it was meant to be a toll to help people be able to function in society.

JC Callender said:

Can you describe any ways in which modern psychology inhibits personal growth? For instance, I'm reading a book about Steve Jobs right now, and he got into a lot of trouble in his early elementary school years because he was extremely smart and bored from lack of stimulation. When the school complained to his father, he blamed them for not keeping his son's mind stimulated, which I agree with. This was in the 60's. I actually knew a young boy in the 90's who had the same problem, and his teachers suggested he go on Ritilin and then wanted to hold him back a grade. His mother pulled him from that school and sent him to a school for exceptional learners and he really thrived.

I'm not an expert on psychology, but do know that there's a disorder for just about everything nowadays, and instead of working through problems, you can take some pills or find some other way of side tracking it. I do believe there are instances where medication is needed, but I also think that there are probably way too many cases of people side stepping reality and their maturity in the process because they don't want to or don't know how to take on the real problem. Any thoughts?

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Yes and no. People are people, and people are fallible. The study of humans is also inexact, because every human is different. Even hard medicine is fallible, and the more complex your needs, the more fallible it is. This isn't unique to the psychiatric industry. We all know someone who took years to get a proper diagnoses for a completely physical ailment. Humans are complex.

Some psyche professionals can limit personal growth. But they are being sought by people who wish to have their growth limited -- people who believe there's some ideal form of how a human is supposed to be, and want to force and shove themselves to fit into this (made up) standard.

There are also psyche professionals who understand the incredible diversity of what is normal for people, and encourage their patients and clients to find what that is for them and become empowered within it.

You must be your own advocate (or if you're a parent or guardian of another, their advocate). You must insist that there is no ideal form of what humans are supposed to be like, and that whoever is helping you adhere to what our standards for "disorder" actually are, which do not include "being unusual or inconvenient."

There are plenty of people and professionals who understand and respect that. Even some of my public school teachers did, and skirted the rules to do what they felt was better for me. Some of them went through quite a lot of hell for it.

JC Callender said:

Can you describe any ways in which modern psychology inhibits personal growth? For instance, I'm reading a book about Steve Jobs right now, and he got into a lot of trouble in his early elementary school years because he was extremely smart and bored from lack of stimulation. When the school complained to his father, he blamed them for not keeping his son's mind stimulated, which I agree with. This was in the 60's. I actually knew a young boy in the 90's who had the same problem, and his teachers suggested he go on Ritilin and then wanted to hold him back a grade. His mother pulled him from that school and sent him to a school for exceptional learners and he really thrived.

I'm not an expert on psychology, but do know that there's a disorder for just about everything nowadays, and instead of working through problems, you can take some pills or find some other way of side tracking it. I do believe there are instances where medication is needed, but I also think that there are probably way too many cases of people side stepping reality and their maturity in the process because they don't want to or don't know how to take on the real problem. Any thoughts?

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Yes JC, modern "Psychology" most certainly inhibits personal growth.

There is no question in my mind I would have been drugged into a stupor when I was in elementary school. You might say I was a bit talkative and fascinated by everything, much to just about every teachers dismay. Fortunately, it was the '60's, and the pop psycho babble that was to infect education and pop culture was to come later.

Although my own two children weren't quite as "talkative", they weren't wallflowers either, and especially with my daughter, the psychos were ready to pounce with all sorts of "treatments" for the teenage angst we all survived.

JC Callender said:

I'm not attempting to dismiss all of modern psychology, just asking for examples within modern psychology. And Jobs didn't have a "condition" in my opinion, his teachers didn't understand how best to teach him. He did have a teacher a little later on who bribed him with a lolipop and a little cash to complete a project and he did it right away. She also, a little later, bought him a hobby kit, which he loved! This went on until Jobs simply completed his work to please her since he loved and respected her so much for understanding him. She eventually had him tested and moved forward a grade so that it would be a little more challenging to him.

The moral of the story isn't to bribe a smart kid to behave with money but to understand the difference between a gift and an illness and how to bring out one's potential rather than extinguishing it with pills and punishment.

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I am only responding to how the OP and thread title was phrased.

The bottom line is there will be a time that modern psychology will not be perfect, there will be a time that brilliance and aptitude in a child is mistaken for ADHD (or something similar.) A conclusion that medication is needed to remedy the symptoms that the parent or teacher (or someone else significant in the child's life) suggests is a problem because of some issue related to lack of social or educational normalcy. It is bound to happen, I am just not sure that if Steve Jobs was a kid today it would end up the same way. The criteria for several abnormalities like ADHD is not the same today as it was then.

I doubt any one example satisfies the debate, or even starts one.

JC Callender said:

Can you describe any ways in which modern psychology inhibits personal growth? For instance, I'm reading a book about Steve Jobs right now, and he got into a lot of trouble in his early elementary school years because he was extremely smart and bored from lack of stimulation. When the school complained to his father, he blamed them for not keeping his son's mind stimulated, which I agree with. This was in the 60's. I actually knew a young boy in the 90's who had the same problem, and his teachers suggested he go on Ritilin and then wanted to hold him back a grade. His mother pulled him from that school and sent him to a school for exceptional learners and he really thrived.

I'm not an expert on psychology, but do know that there's a disorder for just about everything nowadays, and instead of working through problems, you can take some pills or find some other way of side tracking it. I do believe there are instances where medication is needed, but I also think that there are probably way too many cases of people side stepping reality and their maturity in the process because they don't want to or don't know how to take on the real problem. Any thoughts?

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I knew in the biblical sense and dated in the California sense one of the neighbor girls of Jobs and she said he was always rather delinquent as a kid and even had the FBI chasing after him because of his patent infringement issues -- copying things that were patented and selling them which is illegal.

It therefore seems to me Jobs was precocious but without any sense of ethics or morality.

But like a candle he burned brightly but burned out fast.

OrphanSlug said:

I am only responding to how the OP and thread title was phrased.

The bottom line is there will be a time that modern psychology will not be perfect, there will be a time that brilliance and aptitude in a child is mistaken for ADHD (or something similar.) A conclusion that medication is needed to remedy the symptoms that the parent or teacher (or someone else significant in the child's life) suggests is a problem because of some issue related to lack of social or educational normalcy. It is bound to happen, I am just not sure that if Steve Jobs was a kid today it would end up the same way. The criteria for several abnormalities like ADHD is not the same today as it was then.

I doubt any one example satisfies the debate, or even starts one.

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I am guessing that parents put their kids on meds for the sake of their own sanity (the parents') not to benefit the kid.

Riveroaks said:

I am guessing that parents put their kids on meds for the sake of their own sanity (the parents') not to benefit the kid.

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It is going to happen, unfortunate but true.

If you have to put your kids on meds in order to control them then you don't deserve to be a parent.