Unpacking the Popular Psychology Controversy

Why do academic psychologists dislike pop psychology books when billions are sold each year? Many academic psychologists hold negative, skeptical and stereotypical views about popular psychology books, even though there have been few formal investigations into these materials to understand their content, construction, purposes, or their author's credentials. In this innovative dissertation, case study methodology was employed to compare popular and scholarly books so that for once and...
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Why do academic psychologists dislike pop psychology books when billions are sold each year? Many academic psychologists hold negative, skeptical and stereotypical views about popular psychology books, even though there have been few formal investigations into these materials to understand their content, construction, purposes, or their author's credentials. In this innovative dissertation, case study methodology was employed to compare popular and scholarly books so that for once and for all the popular psychology debate could be resolved. This project's findings has implications for the public at large who rely on these materials to better understand themselves and each other, and for educators, librarians and journal editors and students who may presently disqualify useful materials without fully understanding them. It also will assist many readers with improving their research and writing skills.