volume 7 issue 2 article 4
Exploring Lay People’s Beliefs about Psychology in the United Kingdom (UK)
Okoloba Maia M.1 & Ogueji Ifeanyichukwu A2
1The University of Buckingham, Department of Psychology, Yeomanry House, Buckingham, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom.
2Department of Psychology, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo state, Nigeria
Abstract: In literature, false beliefs about what psychology as a discipline entails remain a recurrent issue among lay persons. There is thus the need to explore the beliefs that are held about psychology among lay persons, and develop interventions that are tailored towards the false beliefs in lay persons. Therefore, this research used semi-structured interviews to explore the beliefs of five (5) individuals who were considered as lay people in relation to psychology in the UK. During thematic analysis, three (3) themes emerged. They were; mind readers, a discipline with less recognition, and mental health profession. The need for appropriate information sharing, and evidence-based campaigns about what psychology as a discipline entails was thus recommended, targeting the general population of lay people.
Keywords: Lay People, Beliefs, Psychology
References:
Arkowitz, H., & Lilienfeld, S, O. (2010). The “Just do it” trap: Why radio “does” help few. Scienetifc American Mind.
Benjamin, L, T. (2006). Why are we keeping psychological science a secret. In Invited address at the annual convention of Association for Psychological Science, New York, NY.
Coker, O., Olibamoyo, O., Adewunmi, A. O., Osakwe, V. A., Taiwo, T., & Alonge, A. O. (2019). Help-seeking behaviors of individuals with mental illness before pursuing professional mental health care services in Lagos, Nigeria. International Journal of Advanced Community Medicine, 2(1), 10-16.
Cusimano, C., & Goodwin, G. P. (2019). Lay beliefs about the controllability of everyday mental states. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 148(10), 1701-1732.
Dworkin, S. L. (2012). Sample size policy for qualitative studies using in-depth interviews. Arch Sex Behav, 41, 1319-1320.
Ferguson, C, J. (2015). Everybody knows psychology is not a real science: Public perceptions of psychology and how we can improve our relationship with policymakers, the scientific community, the general public. American Psychologist, 70(6), 527 -542.
Furnham, A., & Telford, K. (2012). Public attitudes, lay theories, and mental health literacy: The understanding of mental health, mental illnesses – Understanding, prediction and control. Prof. Luciano I. Abate (Ed.).
Kowalski, P., & Taylor, A, K. (2009). The effect of refuting misconceptions in the introductory psychology class. Teaching of Psychology, 36, 153 – 159.
Lilienfeld, S, O., & Gurung (2012). Public scepticism of psychology: Why many people perceive the study of human behaviour as unscientific. American Psychologist, 67, 111 – 129.
Maynard, D. (2014). The history and current status of psychology in Barbados: Research and professional practice. Interamerican Journal of Psychology, 47(2), 227.
McLeod, S. Psychological theories. Retrieved from 2015; https://simplypsychology.org/depression.html
Mefoh, P. (2014). Challenges and prospects of psychology in Nigeria.
European Journal of Social Sciences 42(1), 57-64.
Motyl, M., Demos, A., Carsel, T., Hanson, B., Melton, Z., Mueller, A., Prims, J., Sun, J., Washburn, A., Wong, K., Yantis, C., &Skitka, L. (2017). The state of social and personality science: Rotten to the core, not so bad, getting better, or getting worse? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, doi: 10.1037/pspa0000084.
Ogueji, I. A., & Constantine-Simms, D. (2019). Clinical psychology in Nigeria: An assessment of perceptions of the growing subfield among non-mental health professionals and recommendations for growth acceleration. IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science (IOSR-JHSS), 24(10), 25-31. doi:10.9790/0837-2410122531
Ogueji, I. A., & Okoloba, M. M. (2020). Seeking professional help for mental illness: A cross- cultural mixed methods study of Black families in United Kingdom and Nigeria. An Unpublished Manuscript (Under Review).
Osinowo, H. O. (2016). The promising baby called Psychology. Retrieved from https://ui.edu.ng/content/abstract-professor-helen-oosinowos-inaugral-lecture.
Peel, K. L. (2020). A beginner’s guide to applied educational research using thematic analysis. Practical Assessment, Research and Evaluation, 25, 2.
Price, M, P. (2011). Promoting psychology as a STEM discipline. Monitor on Psychology, 42(2), 32-36.
Rosen, G, M., Glasgow, R, E., & Moore, T, E. (2003). Self-help therapy: The science and business of giving psychology away. In S.O. Lilienfeld, S.J. Lynn, & J.M. Lohr (Eds), Science and pseudoscience in clinical psychology (pp. 399 – 424). New York: Guilford Press.
The UK’s Economic and Social Research Council, et al. (2009). International benchmarking review of UK Psychology. Retrieved from, https://esrc.ukri.org/files/research/research- and-impact-evaluation/international-benchmaking-review-of-uk-psychology/
Trapp, et al. (2011). The future of undergraduate Psychology in the UK. Retrieved from, https://reserchgate.net/publication/265432917
International Journal of Social Sciences & Educational Studies
ISSN 2520-0968 (Online), ISSN 2409-1294 (Print), June 2020, Vol.7, No.2
Journal Metrics
Keywords
