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- Message-ID: <PSYCGRAD%92121415001190@ACADVM1.UOTTAWA.CA>
- Newsgroups: bit.listserv.psycgrad
- Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1992 14:37:02 EST
- Sender: Psychology Graduate Students Discussion Group List
- <PSYCGRAD@UOTTAWA.BITNET>
- From: Matthew Simpson <054340@UOTTAWA.BITNET>
- Subject: Re: Common-Sense Knowledge In Ps
- In-Reply-To: Message of Fri, 11 Dec 1992 15:32:00 EST from <22817MGR@MSU>
- Lines: 51
-
- On Fri, 11 Dec 1992 15:32:00 EST Someonesaid:
- > The main point that I've been trying to make
- >over the last few days (enlightening the unlightened Matthew Simpson) is: We
- >as psychologists have to be much more concerned with this pernicious
- >perception of psychology and psychologists that, much like a stereotype, can
- >lead to all kinds 0 misconceptions and misunderstanding about the SCIENCE of
- >psychology.
- >Capiche?
-
- If I may be aloud to unenlighten the enlightened.
- I propose that we do not need to be MORE concerned than what we have been
- taught to be. I think we have enough concern as it is. I will even propose
- that the amount of concern we have is not a useful concern.
-
- Rather than being more concerned about what other people think of us,
- I propose that we focus on the job at hand. Let's hire someone else
- to be concerned about public relations and marketing. If you are
- required to do your own marketing, be that which you market. Don't
- engage in preaching about what you are. Be what you are, and there
- will be no problem with the perceptions of others. Actions speak louder
- than words.
-
- IT ALL COMES DOWN TO
- If you think that psychology needs more promoting as a science, great!
- Go do it. And then report what techniques you find to be useful in
- certain situations. When reporting these useful techniques, be very
- precise and descriptive. Then we can discuss what you are proposing as
- a specific technique. We don't all have to agree on the abstract
- problem. We don't all have to agree with the abstract proposed
- solution. Get concrete in order to do something useful.
-
- You see, so far we are jumping from vague situation to vague
- situation. Someone is talking about the grant-review committee.
- Another person is talking about the family making a joke. Someone
- is talking about a young group of student engineers. Still another
- person is talking about chit-chat in the hallway outside the
- president's office. Here are 4 vague scenarios which are entirely
- different from each other and have different implications regarding
- the so-called problem. In each of these scenarios, only one of them
- has been detailed enough to establish that it was just a family joke
- (no problem there).
-
- Until we define what we are talking about, none of us will be certain
- what the other is intending to say. Can you be more specific?
-
- O======================================================================O
- | _ l _ * Matthew Simpson * BITNET: |
- | \_l_/ * School of Psychology * 054340@uottawa.bitnet |
- | l * 145 Jean Jacques Lussier * INTERNET: |
- | l * Ottawa, Ontario K1N 8P5 * 054340@acadvm1.uottawa.ca |
- O======================================================================O
-