Psychology and the Media
The Image of Psychology through the Eyes of the Media
Abstract
Psychology can be presented by the media in forms such as magazine or newspaper articles, and the most popular today is through commercials watched on TV. Psychology is presented in a form of science today compared to what it was viewed as in the late 1800s and onto the 1900s. It is more of a science nature because viewers have to think about the meaning of the article or commercial to understand the message that is being presented. Then, psychology was viewed as a form or common sense. Psychology was never really looked at as a science but rather as philosophy in the 1980s. The public was often confused with the subject of psychology because it was always changing. The media presents both social and cognitive psychology to the public. Psychologists are not exactly overrepresented today, but the media uses them to their advantage. In the 1800s and the 1900s, psychologists were underrepresented and not taken seriously until World War I when “pop” psychology was let out to the public. The public was made to believe that the war was won because of the psychologists’ work. The media definitely relies more on psychologists than self-proclaimed experts. Many articles in magazines are psychologist interviewed and psychologists even write their own articles for the public to view and respond back with questions. Today, the media presents psychological information in more of a sensationalistic manner. This is a way that the media can catch the reader’s attention. By catching their attention, the media tends to over exaggerate many stories to make them sound better or worse than the story truly is. Psychology is still a confusing subject to the public today and many may never understand the role that psychology plays in society.
The approach that psychology is presented in today’s media can somewhat differ from the way it was presented in the late 1800s through the 1900s. The message that
Abstract
Psychology can be presented by the media in forms such as magazine or newspaper articles, and the most popular today is through commercials watched on TV. Psychology is presented in a form of science today compared to what it was viewed as in the late 1800s and onto the 1900s. It is more of a science nature because viewers have to think about the meaning of the article or commercial to understand the message that is being presented. Then, psychology was viewed as a form or common sense. Psychology was never really looked at as a science but rather as philosophy in the 1980s. The public was often confused with the subject of psychology because it was always changing. The media presents both social and cognitive psychology to the public. Psychologists are not exactly overrepresented today, but the media uses them to their advantage. In the 1800s and the 1900s, psychologists were underrepresented and not taken seriously until World War I when “pop” psychology was let out to the public. The public was made to believe that the war was won because of the psychologists’ work. The media definitely relies more on psychologists than self-proclaimed experts. Many articles in magazines are psychologist interviewed and psychologists even write their own articles for the public to view and respond back with questions. Today, the media presents psychological information in more of a sensationalistic manner. This is a way that the media can catch the reader’s attention. By catching their attention, the media tends to over exaggerate many stories to make them sound better or worse than the story truly is. Psychology is still a confusing subject to the public today and many may never understand the role that psychology plays in society.
The approach that psychology is presented in today’s media can somewhat differ from the way it was presented in the late 1800s through the 1900s. The message that
References: Ludy, B. (1986). Why don 't they understand us? A history of psychology 's public image. American Psychologists, 41, 941-946.