Psychology is the study of the way people think. It is very important to advertisers, military planners, salesmen, and so on, but it is all guesswork and stereotyping, not a science.

To manipulate people you need more than a knowledge of psychology, you need to understand people and if you understand them properly you won’t want to manipulate them.

”...but it is all guesswork and stereotyping, not a science.”
@SmartAZ: I call bullshit. By that definition, theoretical physics is also not a science. Psychology, as a study, often employs accepted scientific methods of data gathering and extrapolation of information from that.

@azaleaaster: “Learning psychology to manipulate people” doesn’t really mean anything, as unless you do detailed studies of how specific groups will respond, behaviorally, to specific applied stimuli, it is too broad a concept.

@canidmajor that is a rather rude reply. You are free to define things any way you want, but insults don’t lead to nice discussions.

@SmartAZ: If me calling “bullshit” upsets you, well, gosh. Your statement was rude to any one who studies psychology as a science. It balances.

I’ve read books on verbal transactional analysis that have been very helpful to me in understanding what is really going on when people are talking to me. I see right through the BS games that people play.

Yes. I have studied Psychology Major and I do at times use it, but not enough. Are you referring to pop psychology though? (That being popular theories that have sprung up amidst certain trends in society). Lately I am using it as I have just completed a counselling course and hypnotherapy.

I can and do for example recognize certain personality disorders, and abnormal psychology in some individuals that I meet or are close too. Sometimes I am too close and I can’t see what is going on.

A note to @SmartAZ I studied Psychology for 4 years and completed my majors. Along with that, I also studied the social sciences which includes Sociology, Criminology, Social Work, Social Law etc. A massive part of our degree contained Statistics which were measurable data collection methods. No science is perfect and all sciences evolve as time goes along. I feel l offended that you feel my 7 year degree was guess work.

Psychology in essence is the study of man in context (society) and this includes variables such as culture, age, developmental issues and disorders. It is classified as one of the most complex sciences.

Apply to everyday life, yes. Use it to manipulate people, no. I use my knowledge to understand people’s mind and help them, or protect myself, not to harm anyone for my own gain. That’s not what knowledge are for.

Yes, a lot of the time I do, and have studied psychology for many years, on and off, as well, though I am not degreed.
I “use” my knowledge more so from an observational POV and am also a fan of personality theory which I feel is a great tool to better understand self and others.
To “use” psychological knowledge in a manipulative way is disingenuous at best, downright unethical at worst. If you’re into manipulating others I’d say you might need to take a hard look at that trait in yourself.

I, personally, loathe manipulative people and will not tolerate that behavior once I have identified it. I am especially in tune with passive aggressive bullshit and once I have identified that behavior in another I keep my distance.

We all do it. As with everything else, some are better at it than others.

I don’t consider people around as experimental objects..I treat them the way I would like to be treated. As simple as that. Sometimes you have to be little bit political while working in professional environment not much to do with psychology though.

It helps to understand psychology, simply so that you know not to look at things through YOUR eyes only.

I like to think I use what I know about psychology to detect, understand, reveal, avoid, expose and cope with the behavior of manipulators and other perpetrators. Mostly I use it to process my own material, to heal, to listen, to get handles on my own behavior, and to have sympathy and understanding for others. Also to decode bullshit, get perspectives on what’s going on with other people, etc.

I’m only interested in psychology to understand people and , as I understand them, they’re all crazy to a certain extent. The sane ones have killed themselves.

I took counseling to help me figure out how to deal with all the crazies in my life.

@LornaLove I am getting awfully tired of people acting like I did something wrong because they disagree with me. I carefully cited my definition of psychology, and since nobody can tell what another person actually thinks, the subject is by definition guesswork. I appreciate that you have spent a lot of effort to earn approval of other people in the field, but that does not mean I have to say only things that you agree with.

@SmartAZ Your original response appears based on ‘guesswork and stereotyping’ and if you had spent seven years studying the subject your opinions about it would carry a lot more weight.

@SmartAZ: engage in a modicum of research. Just a smidge. Discover that psychology and neuro-science are becoming intertwined; areas of the brain that respond to various non-physical stimuli are being observed and evaluated by both disciplines. People’s thoughts are measurable electrical reactions to other stuff. There are definite physical responses to thought, (dilation or contraction of pupils, increased adrenaline production, quickening of the pulse, reddening or paling of the skin, increased or decreased respiration rate, sweat production, and hey, even a good old-fashioned boner, just to name a few. All measurable responses to thought.
Your definition of psychology is outdated.
Become educated instead of outraged.

Why do people struggle so hard when called to say what they mean instead of making up meanings as they go along? Science is anything that can be measured. Behavior can be measured, so we can talk about behavioral science. Thinking can not be measured, so psychology can never be a science. And no amount of complaining can change that.

Wow. I gave you a bunch of examples why and how thinking canbe quantified and your stubbornly closed mind still stands firm in ignorance. Well, you just enjoy that.

By fully understanding oneself and why one acts , then one can try to understand with compassion others more fully.