Is psychology a real science?

Encyclopedia of Opinion

Question: Is psychology a real science?
Position1 of 3›: Psychology is a real science
Argument1 of 3›: Psychology follows the scientific method

Psychology follows the same steps to obtaining conclusions as in any scientific field. Therefore it is, by definition, a science.

The argument

Hard sciences use the scientific method to draw conclusions about the natural world. The scientific method involves observing, measuring, gathering data, testing hypotheses, experimenting, and developing theories. Psychology employs every facet of the scientific method, and must be considered a hard science.

Premises

[P1]Hard sciences are defined by their use of the scientific method—observation, measurement, data gathering, hypothesis testing, experimentation, and theory development. [P2] Psychology employs every facet of the scientific method in its research. [C] Therefore, psychology is a real (hard) science.

Counter-arguments

Simply using the scientific method does not make psychology a science. Science observes concrete cause and effect processes which reveal truths about how the world works. Psychology relies on observing human behaviors which are unpredictable, yielding conclusions which are abstract at best.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P1] Using the scientific method alone isn't enough to classify something as a science.