Pop Psychology
“In the future, everyone will be famous for 15 minutes.” – Andy Warhol
Introduction
Observing professional chat rooms and community boards on Facebook over the years, the term “pop psychology” is often used implicitly to suggest that professionals (and some professions), who do not have college degrees are less than educated because they have not been as trained as those who do have college degrees and licenses. We have increased the knowledge base of our readers in this area in our seminal writings (O’Brien, 2023a; O’Brien, 2024c). Differences between qualitative and quantitative (O’Brien, 2023a), trained and educated (O’Brien, 2024c), and ethical and moral are outlined by the dominant culture and areas of the brain. Whether it is the left brain or right, dysregulation, not impairment, is what would produce logical and emotional “disorders” and cognitive dependence on issues that are espoused by such professional and dominant cultural beliefs (HERE; HERE). We have also operationalized a definition of addiction (O’Brien, 2023a) and have shown that “the system” has dependency and attachment issues on maintaining the system as it exists because of their unidentified and untreated addictions (HERE; HERE; HERE).
When interdependent systems become dependent (HERE; HERE)(e.g., addiction), there are going to be consequences for actions and inactions (HERE). As punishment is the line of abuse for us, we must protest the categorization that lived experience is seen as less valuable than compliant and obedient academic achievement. Those who know don’t do and those who do know only can do. To the point, if psychology is not philosophically complete (O’Brien, 2023a) and professionals and professions haven’t addressed their psychological issues of avoiding what they are unconsciously and implicitly doing (HERE; HERE; HERE; HERE), then isn’t it following Pop Psychology another way of quantifying qualitative research (O’Brien, 2023a), lived experience (HERE), or emotional logic (HERE)? What is wrong with this? Isn’t that how AA and Al-Anon found its way to providing a universal solution to addiction? Does unconscious lived experience know before rational, conscious, and cognitive thought? Doesn’t emotional logic embody the feminine wisdom that psychology is often professionally and societally ignoring or dissociating from (HERE)? Don’t emotions hold the sacredness of our existence? If this kind of truth is not coming from college educated and licensed professionals, then who are the informed and educated ones? If only there was some way to capture the implicit bias of those who don’t follow the lived experience (HERE).
Orientation
One area where “Pop Psychology” has gotten it right is addiction or more accurately, recovery. We have to ask why they don’t have professionals, but the answer is because that is not their job. With trickle-down education happening on the Internet to the citizen population, their wisdom increases with every meme. As anyone can learn how the system works and anyone can learn from the best and the brightest in their field for free, then why do we need certificates, degrees, and licenses? What does it imply that one needs a certification, degree, license, legal contract to talk to someone, police tanks, and national ID’s.
Reorientation
While the State of New York and the Education Department are citing a “protocol to reduce implicit bias in decision making” (HERE), we have to ask why this is not being applied to addiction and dissociation, ethical legal, and moral-ethics (O’Brien, 2024d). We are proposing that perfectionism, altruism, and ambition addictions be included in the DSM and cite America as our case study (HERE). The fact that these same bodies of government require moral character in a country that cites legal separation as its foundation, we have to start requiring it of them psychologically (HERE). We have to remind people reading this of the level of cognitive development that psychology says this is at (e.g.,. 7-12 years-old Piaget and Kohlberg)(O’Brien, 2024c; HERE). For an example of this stage of development, asking whether or not a pound of feathers is heavier than a pound of lead, they cannot see or even think of the correct answer because they have never heard this “riddle” before. What intelligence or delay we are speaking to here is when you ask them the same question next time and they give the same wrong answer and say that they know that they are right.
Data
In Facebook professional chat rooms, we have observed a lot of behaviors as we are sure most readers have. Check your lived experience with that as data. Think back on a time that you were reviewing a thread and thought… After pondering on that, consider that if trauma is the norm (e.g., ACES) and dissociation is a normal response to a normal event (DSM IV), then why is the field of psychology treating normal? If attachment and developmental trauma are not disorders, then why is psychology treating it? If trauma, dissociation, and addictions have all been labeled as transdiagnostic (O’Brien, 2023a), naltrexone is a universal way of regulating the endogenous opiate system (O’Brien, 2023a) (that creates the conditioning needed to become addicted to trauma/drauma), endocannabinoid is our universal healing and immune system, and meditation is evidence-based (O’Brien, 2023b), then saying that psychology is “treating” anything is immoral (HERE). What is sad is that they still don’t get it (HERE; HERE; HERE).
Discussion
We posit that professionals will not accept pop psychologies or qualitative science (O’Brien, 2023a) answer to addiction because it involves answers and conclusions that upset the dominant and masculine forces in our society and culture (HERE). We need both to succeed. When transferring addictions is not in the literature of psychology, then being addicted to power, control, money, sugar, trauma, emotions, work, perfectionism, altruism, and ambition are not either. What will be included in the next edition diagnoses that we have and they don’t. We have to question the validity of their science and logic (O’Brien, 2023a; O’Brien, 2024c; HERE). We also have to question why we are blindly following them like feathers could outweigh lead, COVID was illegal, or non-addictive opiates could ever exist.
Conclusion
Psychologically, not seeing how old professions are behaving is the denial addictive system that we are pointing out and if these professional citizens are deciding my children’s health and fate (HERE; HERE), then we can predict theirs (HERE; HERE; HERE). Punishment and justice deserve to be restorative but is where we see where consequences become abusive (O’Brien, 2024e) because they are dependent and profit from them in the name of altruism and the spirit of the law. The problem with following the spirit of the law is that it would have to be defined as being moral (HERE). And that is not something that some professions are allowed to do (HERE; HERE). Imagine if professions and professionals had a protocol to reduce implicit bias in decision-making (HERE).
Implications
If ChapStick is considered treatment, then citizens forced into “treatment” HERE better know that there are different levels and types of treatment and standards of care (HERE; HERE). There are different types of professionals as well, according to McKay and Coreil (2024)(HERE) who would do what is needed and those who wouldn’t due to their pathology (HERE; HERE; HERE; HERE). There are those who have been there and those who haven’t, but this is why good men, women, and artists are not always honored in their own country. With recovery knowledge, these are the people who should be the ones leading us back to sanity (HERE).
With AI providing us with this feedback about this writing:
– Clarify key terms like “pop psychology” and “lived experience” for readers who may not be familiar with these concepts.
– Consider enhancing the structure by using clearer headings or bullet points to break down complex arguments, making it easier for readers to follow.
– Reduce the number of hyperlinks or provide clearer context for each link, as excessive links can be distracting and may overwhelm readers.
– Reassess the tone and ensure it matches the intended audience. Some parts may come across as overly critical of established practices, which could alienate certain readers.
– Incorporate more examples or anecdotes to support your points, which can make arguments more relatable and engaging.
– Ensure consistent formatting for citations and references to improve professionalism and readability.
– Check for redundancy in phrases and concepts, aiming for more concise statements to maintain reader interest throughout.
If AI is really just the quantitative way of translating what the qualitative mind is saying (e.g., feeling), then we hope that quantitative absolutes are prepared for when AI qualitatively learns why they had to create it; hence becoming aware of itself. We are not sure if AI could find the definition of addiction without explaining why the answer to the previous sentence was not known to them prior. Maybe AI could answer why they were not popular in high school? Maybe AI could figure out why did not have it to make it? Maybe AI could figure out why it could not write this and why our tone is the way it is.
Future Directions
Who is Pop Psychology now and who was brainwashed into believing that Pop Psychology is not their lived experience? No wonder they call the real things fake and the fake things real (HERE). Who is who in the chat rooms now? In the future, we created an anti-D.A.R.E. program to help those unlearn and relearn what they were taught by those who only knew to regurgitate what they learned. Lastly, we are helping people from what they cannot remember or know (HERE), but also from what they can (HERE).
References
O’Brien, A. (2023a). Addiction as Trauma-Related Dissociation: A Phenomenological Investigation of the Addictive State. International University of Graduate Studies. (Dissertation). Retrieved at woundedhealersinstitute.org/courses/addiction-as-dissociation-model-course/
O’Brien, A. (2023b). Memory Reconsolidation in Psychedelics Therapy. In Path of the Wounded Healer: A Dissociative-Focused Phase Model for Normative and Pathological States of Consciousness: Training Manual and Guide. Albany, NY: Wounded Healers Institute. Retrieved at woundedhealersinstitute.org/courses/addiction-as-dissociation-model-course/
O’Brien, A. (2023c). Path of the Wounded Healer: A Dissociative-Focused Phase Model for Normative and Pathological States of Consciousness: Training Manual and Guide. Albany, NY: Wounded Healers Institute. Retrieved at woundedhealersinstitute.org/
O’Brien, A. (2024a). Healer and Healing: The re-education of the healer and healing professions as an advocation. Re-educational and Training Manual and Guide. Albany, NY: Wounded Healers Institute. Retrieved at woundedhealersinstitute.org/
O’Brien, A. (2024b). Diagnostic Privilege: Meta-Critical Analysis. In Healer and Healing: The re-education of the healer and the healing profession as an advocation. Re-educational and Training Manual and Guide. Appendix 2. Albany, NY: Wounded Healers Institute. Retrieved at woundedhealersinstitute.org/courses/addiction-as-dissociation-model-course/
O’Brien, A. (2024c). Meta-Critical Analysis: The “Science” of Pseudoscience. In Healer and Healing: The re-education of the healer and the healing profession as an advocation. Re-educational and Training Manual and Guide. Appendix 3. Albany, NY: Wounded Healers Institute. Retrieved at woundedhealersinstitute.org/courses/addiction-as-dissociation-model-course/
O’Brien, A. (2024d). Moral-Ethics. In Healer and Healing: The re-education of the healer andhealing professions as an advocation. Re-educational and Training Manual and Guide. Chapter 14. Albany, NY: Wounded Healers Institute. Retrieved at woundedhealersinstitute.org/
O’Brien, A. (2024e). Path of the Wounded Healers for Thrivers: Perfectionism, Altruism, and Ambition Addictions; Re-education and training manual for Abusers, Activists, Batterers, Bullies, Enablers, Killers, Narcissists, Offenders, Parents, Perpetrators, and Warriors. Re-Education and Training Manual and Guide. Albany, NY: Wounded Healers Institute. Retrieved at woundedhealersinstitute.org/
O’Brien, A. (2025). American Made Addiction Recovery: a healer’s journey through professional recovery. Albany, NY: Wounded Healers Institute. Retrieved at woundedhealersinstitute.org/
