Taking Sides: Clashing VIews on Psychological Issues

Unit:: Biological Issues

YES:: Glenn Geher, from Evolutionary Psychology Is Not Evil! (...and Heres Why...), Psychological Topics (2006)

NO:: Edwin E. Gantt and Brent S. Melling, from Evolutionary Psychology Isnt Evil, Its Just Not Any Good, Original Work (2009)

Evolutionary psychologist Glenn Geher maintains that evolution provides the best meta-theory for explaining and understanding human psychology. Theoretical psychologists Edwin Gantt and Brent Melling argue that an evolutionary account of psychology omits many important and good things about humans.

YES:: Jacques Balthazart, from Minireview:: Hormones and Human Sexual Orientation, The Endocrine Society (2011)

NO:: Stanton L. Jones and Alex W. Kwee, from Scientific Research, Homosexuality, and the Churchs Moral Debate:: An Update, Christian Association for Psychological Studies, Inc (2005)

Neuroendocrinologist Jacques Balthazart argues that the prenatal endocrine environment has a significant influence on human sexual orientation, and that genetic differences affecting behavior, either in a direct manner or by changing embryonic hormone secretion or action, may also be involved in determining life-long sexual orientation. Professor of psychology Stanton L. Jones and clinical psychologist Alex W. Kwee claim the current research on the biology of homosexuality provides no firm evidence for biological causation and leaves room for learning models of sexual orientation.

Unit:: Research Issues

YES:: Gerald J. Haeffel et al., from Theory, Not Cultural Context, Will Advance American Psychology, American Psychological Association (2009)

NO:: Jeffrey Jensen Arnett, from The Neglected 95%, a Challenge to Psychologys Philosophy of Science, American Psychological Association (2009)

Gerald Haeffel and his colleagues believe that psychological studies of American people often generalize to people of other cultures, especially when basic processes are being studied. Jeffrey Arnett, psychological research professor, argues that culture is central to the functioning of humans and thus to psychological findings.

YES:: APA President Task Force on Evidence-Based Practice, from Report of the 2005 Presidential Task Force on Evidence-Based Practice, American Psychological Association (2006)

NO:: Brent D. Slife and Dennis C. Wendt, from The Next Step in the Evidence-Based Practice Movement, Speech or Remarks (2006)

The APA Presidential Task Force on Evidence-Based Practice assumes that a variety of traditional empirical methods is sufficient to provide evidence for psychological practices. Psychologist Brent D. Slife and researcher Dennis C. Wendt contend that traditional empirical methods are guided by a single philosophy that limits the diversity of methods.

YES:: Oliver R. Goodenough and Micaela Tucker, from Law and Cognitive Neuroscience, Annual Review of Law and Social Science (2010)

NO:: Jay D. Aronson, from The Laws Use of Brain Evidence, Annual Review of Law and Social Science (2010)

Oliver Goodenough and Micaela Tucker argue that cognitive neuroscience offers an exciting and ambitious research agenda for addressing a variety of thorny political and social issues relating to law and the American justice system. Jay D. Aronson, a professor of history at Carnegie Mellon University, argues that although cognitive neuroscience has brought forth a number of findings relating to law, it fails to truly understand the link between brain activity and behavior or memory formation, and cannot solve important legal and ethical questions relating to law.

Unit:: Development Issues

YES:: Steven F. Gruel, from Brief of Amicus Curiae in Case of Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association, Public Domain (2010)

NO:: Patricia A. Millett, from Brief of Amicus Curiae in Case of Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association, Public Domain (2010)

Prosecutor Steven F. Gruel, in arguing before the Supreme Court, cites what he says is an overwhelming amount of research support to conclude that viewing violence causes children to act more violently. Defense attorney Patricia A. Millett argues before the Supreme Court that psychological research about the effects of media violence on children is inconclusive, with these researchers making claims about causation that cannot be substantiated.

YES:: Peter Sprigg, from New Study On Homosexual Parents Tops All Previous Research:: Children of Homosexuals Fare Worse on Most Outcomes, Family Research Council (2012)

NO:: Carmine D. Boccuzzi, Jr. et al., from Brief of Amicus Curiae of the American Sociological Association in behalf of Appellants, American Sociological Association (2013)

Peter Sprigg of the Family Research Council recapitulates the arguments and findings of Mark Regnerus, concluding that the idea that children of homosexual parents are no different than children of heterosexual parents and, thus, are unharmed by the gender of their parents is a myth. Attorney Carmine Boccuzzi and colleagues, critiquing that the methods and findings of the Regnerus study and other similar studies, argue that children of homosexual parents are just as well off as children of heterosexual parents in most aspects of life.

Unit:: Cognitive-Emotional Issues

YES:: Stephen M. Schueller and Acacia C. Parks, from The Science of Self-Help:: Translating Positive Psychology Research into Increased Individual Happiness, Hogrefe Publishing (2014)

NO:: Laurel C. Newman and Randy J. Larsen, from How Much of Our Happiness Is Within Our Control?, Original Work (2009)

Positive psychologists Stephen M. Schueller and Acacia C. Parks present a summary of the current state of positive psychological interventions as they pertain to self-help, interventions that have been shown to lead to increases in individual happiness. Psychologists Laurel Newman and Randy Larsen challenge the external validity and sustainability of the effects of these strategies, arguing that most of what influences our long-term happiness is outside our control.

YES:: John D. Mayer, Peter Salovey, and David R. Caruso, from Emotional Intelligence:: New Ability or Eclectic Traits?, American Psychological Association (2008)

NO:: Gerald Matthews, Moshe Zeidner, and Richard D. Roberts, from The Science, the Myth, and the Future of Emotional Intelligence, Bradford Books (of MIT Press) (2002)

Psychologists John Mayer, Peter Salovey, and David Caruso maintain that some individuals have a greater emotional intelligence (EI), a greater capacity than others to carry out sophisticated information processing about emotions. Psychologists Gerald Matthew, Moshe Zeidner, and Richard Roberts contend that the concept of emotional intelligence, as currently understood, is fundamentally flawed, having no reliable foundation in biological, cognitive, coping, or personality models of human behavior.

Unit:: Mental Health Issues

YES:: Priscilla K. Coleman, from Abortion and Mental Health:: Quantitative Synthesis and Analysis of Research Published 1995-2009, Royal College of Psychiatrists (2011)

NO:: Jon Knowles and Deborah Golub, from The Emotional Effects of Induced Abortion, Planned Parenthood Federation of America (2007)

Priscilla Coleman conducted an analysis of hundreds of studies regarding the mental health of women after receiving an abortion and concludes that the research indicates that abortion does not lead to negative mental health effects. Jon Knowles cites multiple studies that evidence a variety of populations and circumstances that do not result in post-abortion mental health issues.

YES:: National Institute of Mental Health, from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, National Institute of Mental Health (2006)

NO:: Sami Timimi and Nick Radcliffe, from The Rise and Rise of ADHD, PCCS Books (2005)

The National Institute of Mental Health asserts that ADHD is a real disorder that merits special consideration and treatment. Timimi and Radcliffe insist that ADHD is not a medical disorder as it has no demonstrable biological cause; rather, it is not a disorder at all, but an agenda-driven, socially constructed entity invented by Western society.

YES:: Sean E. Brotherson and Joseph M. White, from Why Fathers Count:: Fatherhood and the Future of Our Children, Meridian Magazine (2007)

NO:: Jane Waldfogel, Terry-Ann Craigie, and Jeanne Brooks-Gunn, from Fragile Families and Child Well-Being, Future of Children (2010)

Researchers Sean E. Brotherson and Joseph M. White make the case that fathers play a crucial and irreplaceable role in the lives of their children, with effective fathering being strongly tied to lower levels of poverty, depression, behavioral challenges, and higher levels of cooperation, academic achievement, and other traits. Jane Waldfogel, Terry-Ann Craigie, and Jeanne Brooks-Gunn, in a detailed analysis of various family structures, find that family instability has a negative effect on childrens cognitive and health outcomes, regardless of structure, meaning that children with single or cohabiting parents are not necessarily at risk.

Unit:: Psychotherapy Issues

YES:: Mark A. Hubble, Barry L. Duncan, and Scott D. Miller, from Introduction to The Heart and Soul of Change:: What Works in Therapy, American Psychological Association (1999)

NO:: Jedidiah Siev, Jonathan D. Huppert, and Dianne L. Chambless, from The Dodo Bird, Treatment Technique, and Disseminating Empirically Supported Treatments, The Behavior Therapist (2009)

Psychologists Mark Hubble, Barry Duncan, and Scott Miller argue that all effective therapies are essentially alike, while all ineffective therapies are ineffective in their own way. In addition, while many different psychotherapies are effective in relieving the suffering of patients, all of these therapies are effective because of the factors they all possess in common, not for any unique belief or procedure a therapy may possess. Psychologists Jedidiah Siev, Jonathan Huppert, and Dianne Chambless assert that outcomes among the various psychotherapies differ primarily because one technique or therapy is better than another.

YES:: Jean A. Carter, from Theoretical Pluralism and Technical Eclecticism, American Psychological Association (2006)

NO:: Don MacDonald and Marcia Webb, from Toward Conceptual Clarity with Psychotherapeutic Theories, Journal of Psychology and Christianity (2006)

Counseling psychologist Jean Carter insists that the continued improvement and effectiveness of psychotherapy requires that techniques and theories include the different approaches of psychological theory and practice through an eclectic approach. Professors of psychotherapy Don MacDonald and Marcia Webb contend that eclecticism creates an unsystematic theoretical center for psychological ideas and methods that ultimately limits overall therapeutic effectiveness.

Unit:: Social Issues

YES:: Joseph Nicolosi, A. Dean Byrd, and Richard W. Potts, from Retrospective Self-Reports of Changes in Homosexual Orientation:: A Consumer Survey of Conversion Therapy Clients, Psychological Reports (2000)

NO:: A. Lee Beckstead, from Can We Change Sexual Orientation?, Archives of Sexual Behavior (2012)

Nicolosi, Byrd, and Potts surveyed a large number of individuals who self-identified as homosexual—both before and after receiving conversion therapy—to determine whether the therapy was an effective means of changing sexual orientation. Psychotherapist A. Lee Beckstead reviews current psychological attitudes toward homosexuality and concludes that treatment to change sexual orientation is more likely to harm than the help.

YES:: Patrick Carnes, from Understanding Sexual Addiction, SIECUS Report (2003)

NO:: Lawrence A. Siegel and Richard M. Siegel, from Sex Addiction:: Recovering from a Shady Concept, Original Work (2007)

Sexual addiction expert Patrick J. Carnes argues not only that sex can be addictive but also that sex can be as addictive as drugs, alcohol, or any other chemical substance. Sex therapists Lawrence A. Siegel and Richard M. Siegel believe that while some sexual behaviors might be dysfunctional, calling those behaviors “addictive” confuses a moralistic ideology with a scientific fact.

YES:: Soraya Mehdizadeh, from Self-Presentation 2.0:: Narcissism and Self-Esteem on Facebook, Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking (2010)

NO:: Alex Lambert, from Discovering Intimacy on Facebook, Macmillan Publishers (2013)

Soraya Mehdizadeh examines how narcissism and self-esteem are manifest on Facebook. Her study reveals that individuals who rate higher in narcissism and lower in self-esteem tend to use Facebook significantly more than those who score lower in narcissism and higher in self-esteem. Alex Lambert, a researcher of new media at University of Melbourne, reviews the arguments against the narcissism hypothesis. He claims that Facebook use is primarily about seeking intimacy with other people and not about fulfilling narcissistic desires.