Why psychology is not a science

1. Materiality

The material basis of mind is the brain. Psychology studies the mind without the brain!

2. Specificity

The building blocks of brain are neurons. Only molecular neurobiology – which studies the physical and chemical processes involved in the communication between neurons – can be called the science of the brain.

3. Observation, Theory, and Prediction

Despite the “instruments” used in Wundt’s laboratory, there is no quantifiable observation in psychology; there are many opposing theories (see this as a recent example); and there are no predictions; even if there are, they are after the fact!

4. Historical Continuity

There is no continuity in the history of psychology. Just like sociology, it popped into existence in the 19th century, largely out of philosophy. The first school, structuralism, was opposed by another, psychoanalysis, both of which were opposed by the “imageless thought school” from which gestalt psychology evolved! Then came behaviorism, cognitivism, descriptive psychology, functionalism, existential psychology, ….

5. Mathematics

Although some psychologists tried to force mathematics into psychology (for a farcical account of the use of mathematics in psychology, see the last paragraph of this page), no natural requirement of its use exists as it does in physics, for instance.

6. Communication in Psychology

Every school of psychology has its own journal in which its own ideas are communicated. Each journal prints theories and conjectures which could be in complete opposition to theories and conjectures in other journals.

7. Prevalence of Controversy

There is an abundance of controversy among various schools of psychology.

8. Sensitivity to the Removal of Statistics

As in sociology, many “scientific” investigations in psychology rely heavily on statistics. If you remove statistics, no “science” will be left! Statistics is so important in psychology that a journal called psychometrika is devoted entirely to statistics!

 9. Relation to Technology

There is not a single invention that is based on psychology. Here I want to emphasize the distinction between neuroscience and psychology. Neuroscience, the branch that studies the electrochemical responses of the brain to stimuli, is crucial to the development of drugs and treatments for mental illnesses.

10. It is “Too Complicated”

Many psychologists admit that human mind is “too complicated.” Therefore, all ideas are only partially right and wrong!

Psychology, like sociology, does not pass any of the  characteristics of science. Therefore, like sociology, it is not a science, despite the -ology at the end of its name.