Is it normal i hate when people say something is subjective like psychology?

Subjective is opinion. Objective is a conclusion based on fact. A Subjective diagnoses would be "I hate this person so I am going to diagnose them with Schizophrenia.", an Objective diagnoses is "This person may have it since they suffer from these symptoms and so this is what I will diagnose them as".

Saying its subjective means that the diagnoses do not exist to begin with. That would be like saying "I think rain comes from angel tears since I like the idea of angels". Its not based on anything just the fact you like angels.

Voting Results
80% Normal
Based on 20 votes (16 yes)
Help us keep this site organized and clean. Thanks!
[ Report Post ]
Comments ( 16 )
  • dom180

    The criteria for diagnosis of pretty much any disorder aren't operationalised well enough to stop diagnosis being subjective. It's called "inter-rater reliability" -- the idea that two analysts can view the same case in different ways and establish different diagnostic explanations for the same behaviour. Diagnoses for a lot of disorders have very low inter-rater reliability, meaning that it's very common for there to be more than one professional opinion about how to diagnose the same case. Inter-rater reliability is the reason a lot of people say you should seek second opinions from different professionals if you have doubts over a diagnosis or a prescribed course of treatment.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
      -
    • Shiroyasha

      Psychology, as it is today, is a total scam. As you already mentioned, there isn't enough homogeneity among professionals. Unlike McDonalds, you will never get the same results if you visit 2 different professionals.

      I would like to add that the diagnosis is always going to be at least little (but mostly quite) subjective, because if it truly was objective you wouldn't need a psychologist, you would just need a machine. Ask any honest psychologist and they will tell you that while they do utilize the available literature, they rely mostly on experience and instinct. That's why they need so many sessions, because it is not enough to know the symptoms, they have to really get to know the person.

      Comment Hidden ( show )
        -
      • dom180

        I wouldn't go as far as to say it's a scam. Clinical psychology is definitely not perfect and clients should be aware that their professionals are fallible.

        It might not be fair to hold clinical psychology to the standard of physiological health, as we do instinctively, because we know objectively a lot more about our bodies than we do our minds. It might be more fair to compare the underlying theory of psychology to theory in all the other sciences. In every science there are a large number of contentious debates, a large amount of subjective knowledge. Most people don't have any care about the gaps in objective knowledge in particle physics, but because of the nature of the application of psychology the gaps in objective knowledge here trickle down in a way more people will notice: into the clinical world and real people's lives.

        As long as there is evidence that all the different perspectives in psychology hold clinical value, which they do, I think we should embrace the lack of homogeneity in clinical professionals.

        Comment Hidden ( show )
      • lolol555

        The reason you can't use a computer is often because an individual won't judge themselves correctly. I.e. thinking about yourself is generally not an emotionless matter, emotions and your own feelings get in the way unlike a professional who should remained detached. For example, a paranoid schitzophrenic person experiencing hallucinations may not view them as such because, for them, they may almost seem more real than reality itself. More so if the illness is severe enough because then wouldn't even be capable of entering their own symptoms into a computer. They would need to be judged by a psychologist.

        Also, I'd like to see some evidence for this statement you're throwing out that it'll "never be the same". In clear cut cases, that's certainly untrue. Results will only differ when the individual's illness isn't very severe or is mixed in with another illness/extraneous variables which may've influenced the difference. Often patients may tell another psychologist something they didn't tell another which leads to a different diagnosis (e.g. certain illnesses are more common because of poor parenting so if a patient only expressed this to a partial extent to one psychologist but a full extent to another, it may lead to changes in their diagnosis).

        But I do agree with you on sessions. Symptoms can change depending on how much stress someone is undergoing at the time of the session (which often makes the illness worse ten fold) which can affect what the thought diagnosis was.

        Comment Hidden ( show )
    • So, if I take my car to one mechanic, then to another, they might have differing theories as to what's making the strange hissing noise, but both would agree there is a problem?
      :)

      Comment Hidden ( show )
        -
      • dom180

        Exactly! That's a good way of describing it :)

        In the case of the car there can only be one right answer as to what is causing the noise, even if there are two things causing the hissing noise at once (comorbidity). We can have true objective knowledge about the problems of the car. Mental health might be more complicated; we're a long way from objectively knowing everything about what makes us do anything, and it's possible that even if two different disorder labels are given they could still both be accurately describing the exact same condition from different perspectives. Classifications for disorders, and the existence of specific disorders entirely, change all the time because mental health disorders are a social construction.

        Comment Hidden ( show )
  • tigressdawn

    Having been diagnosed with mental disorders I will just put this out there. If you are not a trained psychologist your opinion on someone's diagnosis is invalid. The end.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
  • NeuroNeptunian

    I think the idea is more that someone with the same symptoms can see two different doctors and be diagnosed with two different disorders depending on how said doctors feel about the severity of the symptoms and the general level of self awareness of the patient.

    A patient who is anxious, not very good around people, who has a hard time showing empathy and has a hard time looking past their little self box can be diagnosed as having social anxiety by one doctor (this person has a fear of people and by that virtue, has difficulty interacting with them due to their lack of experience stemming from their fear) and as having a personality disorder by another (this person is self centered, cold and doesn't like people so is naturally anxious around them).

    It sounds ridiculous but it happens quite a bit with even seasoned Psychiatric professionals. A diagnosis doesn't just depend on symptoms but how the doctor sees the patient and how the patient presents themselves and their symptoms on any given occasion. Anyone with a brain can tell you that human behavior isn't always a constant.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
      -
    • RoseIsabella

      Quite often people with Borderline personality disorder are misdiagnosed as Bipolar.

      Comment Hidden ( show )
  • 140240

    Are you saying all science is objective? Or just psychology?

    Comment Hidden ( show )
      -
    • Science as a whole is objective. Psychology is a type of science.

      Comment Hidden ( show )
        -
      • 140240

        Sorry, I phrased it badly. I didn't mean to single out psychology against other science. What I meant is:

        Do you think science is objective?

        Comment Hidden ( show )
          -
        • Yes I just said that. Science is Objective and psychology is a type of science.

          Comment Hidden ( show )
            -
          • 140240

            So your answer is "Yes"?

            Comment Hidden ( show )
              -
            • Yes to both questions.

              Comment Hidden ( show )
  • NarmalicyIsSubjective

    *Takes a look at the title*
    . . . this place is not for me. FOLLOW, DINKIE!

    Dinkie: Awww, do we have to, Locke?

    Comment Hidden ( show )