- Question
Is psychology a real science?
Psychology as a discipline has been around for thousands of years, with some form of it being found in numerous ancient civilizations. However, as it has become more common for people to seek psychological help in recent years, the validity of science as a discipline has been questioned. Professionals in the field of science have debated it for years; is psychology a legitimate science, or is it a farce?
Psychology is a real science
This position holds that psychology is a real science. It argues that the discipline follows the scientific method, has established methodologies for deriving knowledge, gains understanding through empirical experience, and can predict human behaviour — the hallmarks of a genuine science.
Psychology is not a real science
This position holds that psychology is not a real science. It argues that its findings are too often inconclusive and irreproducible, that researchers can fudge results, and that — unlike the hard sciences — psychology lacks an agreed central body of established knowledge.
Psychology is a science, but not a hard one
This position holds that psychology is a science, but a 'soft' one rather than a hard science. It argues that because psychology studies abstract phenomena like the mind and behaviour, it cannot reach the concrete, definitive conclusions that the hard sciences can.