Psychobabble and Biobunk

This selection of opinion essays and book reviews by Carol Tavris--written for The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, Scientific American, and other publications--applies psychological research and principles of scientific and critical thinking to issues in the news. As readers work their way interactively through the essays--thinking through the author's position and their own on the various issues, they engage and strengthen their critical thinking skills--e.g., asking questions and wondering; defining terms; examining the evidence; analyzing assumptions and biases--one's own and those of others; avoiding emotional reasoning; not oversimplifying; considering other interpretations; and tolerating uncertainty. Focuses on important areas such as Science vs. Pseudoscience, Controversies in Child Development, The Politics and Science of Gender Research, Applying Psychology to Social Issues, and Mental Disorder and Treatment. Individual essay topics include, for example, The Popularity of Predictions; Thinking Critically About Alternative Medicine; Thinking Critically About Mystical Messages; The Working Mother Debate; How Much Influence Do Mothers Have?; How Much Influence Do Parents Have?; How Critical Are the First Years of Life?; The Interpretation of Differences; The Paradox of Gender; Biological Politics and the Study of Gender; Emotional Epidemics and Their Consequences; The Daycare Sex-abuse Scandals; Adolescent Violence; The Limits of Medication; and Thinking Critically About Psychotherapy. For anyone who wants to explore the psychological basis of current popular culture issues and to engage in, and strengthen, the critical thinking skills.