Do Famous Psychology Gurus Hurt More Than They Help?

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  • Опубліковано 6 тра 2023
  • In this video about famous psychology gurus like Tony Robbins, Jordan Peterson, John Watson, and Amy Cuddy, I address the question of whether these "experts" on human behavior really help people when they act like gurus. I trace some of this modern fascination with simple advice for complex problems back to Mesmer and the Fowler brothers, who became life coaches with their method of phrenology.
    #psychology #gurueffect #selfhelp
    ✨BOOKS I MENTION HERE
    Jordan Peterson, 12 Rules for Life, amzn.to/3VCk6lt
    Amy Cuddy, Presence, amzn.to/41gUPOK
    Anand Giridharadas, Winners Take All, amzn.to/417otWR
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    I received my Ph.D. from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. I joined the School of Psychology at the University of Queensland in Australia in 2007, where my research and teaching are focused on social neuroscience.
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КОМЕНТАРІ • 64

  • @brianarbenz1329
    @brianarbenz1329 10 місяців тому +11

    Don’t follow. Evaluate. That’s the best formula for avoiding the trap of gurus. It’s fine to read what someone says, but then compare and contrast with what others have said. Most importantly, judge what self help people say steadily, not instantly. Give it time. Don’t jump onboard. Stay in charge of your own efforts to improve your life.

    • @Dowlphin
      @Dowlphin 10 місяців тому

      Fear limits the scope of desired information. As fear is overcome, the courage of curiosity grows and with it a desire for more diverse information, which when attained prompts more questioning of information and leads to a better understanding of truth.
      The biggest push for betterment of humankind should probably be the promotion of spiritual wisdom teachings, which also enlighten about the profound dynamic of fear and love in the universe.
      As a related albeit somewhat trivial saying (useful as reminder) goes: _You cannot teach someone the truth if his livelihood depends on not learning it._

    • @brianarbenz1329
      @brianarbenz1329 10 місяців тому

      @@Dowlphin The record of groups and individuals teaching spiritual wisdom to promote healing is filled with bad turns into cults and abusive methods. I can't endorse that.

    • @Dowlphin
      @Dowlphin 10 місяців тому

      @@brianarbenz1329 But it would also be foolish to throw the baby out with the bathwater because it is convenient to generalize. You can have scammers in all kinds of fields. In fact, they might be more successful in establishment structures.
      Here is a proper spiritual teacher's primer on what we need to work on: ua-cam.com/video/ESVoQzOhZNQ/v-deo.html
      And if you have an open mind towards possibilities, it can be worth to thoroughly study this exceptional case of a faith healer: ua-cam.com/video/ZNlXuclHhVc/v-deo.html

  • @LionsYouth
    @LionsYouth 10 місяців тому +14

    One thing that bothers me deeply in this video is the assumption that "qualified mental health professionals" are necessarily better equipped to help people because they follow scientific practices, which is just not the case. And much, if not most "scientific evidence" in psychology (and other fields), is questionable at best. Eg. The DSM which is edited purely on the bases of majority consensus rather than actual evidence. Not to mention the unscientific and therefore unethical research practices fueled by pervers incentives. Much of what is labeled "science" isn't science

    • @janedoe6704
      @janedoe6704 10 місяців тому +2

      If people had any idea how almost impossible it is to scientifically study anything in psychology and how little information the science has really produced....

    • @Dowlphin
      @Dowlphin 10 місяців тому +2

      Yes, the "authority myth" is an inherent risk for the credibility of establishment science, and the more the establishment is empowered through unvirtuous means, the less trustworthy it is. So then the ratios of good vs bad information can shift, when non-establishment science promotes common sense.

    • @avertingapathy3052
      @avertingapathy3052 4 місяці тому

      At most the mental health professionals are better vetted at PsyD or PhD level with psychoanalysts being required to undergo their own therapy. I'm sure there are a few gifted practitioners of NLP or another less mainstream modality but purely from minimizing risk its still a safer bet most of the time. How much safer remains to be seen.😊

  • @theincrediblemahoganygoddess
    @theincrediblemahoganygoddess 10 місяців тому +6

    Great points raised, except one. Individual strategies and practices are supremely important to the individual. It's insane to expect everything to done from, and be fixed at the institutional level. This is extremely disempowering and leads to the abuse of power we have today with our overreaching institutions that impose themselves into our lives. Focusing on the individual is not insignificant. If people worked on themselves, properly, then we wouldn't have societies and institutions that are as prejudiced, biased, and so on. More real work needs to be done at the personal level. Not fake gimmicks with buzzwords.

    • @Dowlphin
      @Dowlphin 10 місяців тому +1

      Or as I sum it up: *Corruption is a grassroots movement.* Indeed so much woe stems from people looking outwards for solutions, crowning manipulative champion figures. Ironically including 'self-help' gurus.
      Of course extremes are imbalanced, and spirituality can also give cherrypickers affirmation that their egocentric success vision is wise, when in fact they might be neglecting the interdependence of everything by obsessing over the self.
      Bruce Lee, always eager to preach spiritual wisdom, killed himself by asking more from his own person than was healthy, and thereby in that blinding internal-focus possibly assumed that downing meds qualifies as internal empowerment. - He was basically overextending. Much of his power was actually externalized and he was serving that part, because he had a high-powered career as a public figure to maintain. - And this is exactly how the Devil snags people, so to speak: by making them believe the opposite of what is really going on.

  • @_NathanSanches
    @_NathanSanches 10 місяців тому +3

    Your channel is so good. Thank you for the insights

  • @themasculinismmovement
    @themasculinismmovement 10 місяців тому +2

    Tony Robbins is supposed to be a master of Neuro Linguistic Programming, you should do a video on NLP

    • @sethruf8993
      @sethruf8993 10 місяців тому

      NLP is a pseudoscience

  • @Alexander-wh1ec
    @Alexander-wh1ec Рік тому +5

    Thanks, for the topic, always wondered if those self-proclaimed gurus have some bad influences.
    Seems obvious, but still something nice to know.

    • @socialneuro
      @socialneuro  Рік тому +3

      Thanks for your feedback. It probably is a little obvious, but I wanted people to think a little more about who the modern-day gurus might be as well!

  • @villebooks
    @villebooks 10 місяців тому +1

    Yes.

  • @coweatsman
    @coweatsman 9 місяців тому

    Gurus fill the "wise old man" archetype felt so keenly by many people, both the gurus and their "disciples" in need of that "old wise man", shaman, prophet, wizard.

    • @coweatsman
      @coweatsman 9 місяців тому

      Jung was one such "old wise man" but he was actually an old wise man, and not just a grifter, and civilisation needs some such people but an archetype can manifest independent of merit..

  • @robot7759
    @robot7759 10 місяців тому +2

    Just follow the money.

  • @foodwatermusic
    @foodwatermusic 10 місяців тому +1

    05:07
    Typical 'Welp, I was a total ignoramus as a youth, so everyone else must have been too. I know exactly how to "raise" little slaves... I'll write a book!'

  • @skepticalgenious
    @skepticalgenious 10 місяців тому

    Philosophy and psychology have helped me personally know best ways to act around others. Sorry my grammar is terrible. 😂

  • @beeswaxlover
    @beeswaxlover 10 місяців тому +1

    I have long wondered about this. Books like the secret etc, have a lot to answer for.

    • @Dowlphin
      @Dowlphin 10 місяців тому

      Stuff like "The Secret" is kinda like trading an assault rifle to a caveman and then seeing him revel in his success when he beats his enemies over the head with it. Just that the seller is a caveman, too.

    • @beeswaxlover
      @beeswaxlover 10 місяців тому

      @Dowlphin many indebt themselves believing their intent is all that is necessary for a good business, some succeed because they have a good business. So profitable and rewarding in the moment to give people hope, but hope without a plan is very naive and immature, oh the target audience of course.

    • @Dowlphin
      @Dowlphin 10 місяців тому

      @@beeswaxlover As I like to summarize the hope thing: Hope at the crown and confidence at the root combine as faith in the heart. Hope without confidence is self-enslavement, confidence without hope is monstrosity.

  • @Rejistania
    @Rejistania 10 місяців тому +1

    What do you think of Positive Psychology?

    • @coweatsman
      @coweatsman 9 місяців тому

      I've always thought honesty was more important than "positivity", which is basically lying to oneself.

    • @pingpong2978
      @pingpong2978 8 місяців тому

      ​@@coweatsmanthat's not really what positive psychology is

  • @dd-ly4lx
    @dd-ly4lx 11 місяців тому

    Or maybe, especially in Florida.

  • @toddlavigne6441
    @toddlavigne6441 10 місяців тому

    I've heard people say Tony Robbins helped them. They don't understand they are making that claim with no control group. IE; themselves without Robbins help.
    So their perception is 100% subjective.

  • @scottchambard7512
    @scottchambard7512 10 місяців тому

    And no not from Florida. Actually Seattle with plenty of university environment experience

  • @herrberg8962
    @herrberg8962 10 місяців тому

    Are there studies that show that the MBTI test is less meaningful than, for example, the Big 5 Personality Traits Test? The criteria for scientific validity should be the confirmation of the assumptions in reality and the reproducibility of the results.

    • @Dowlphin
      @Dowlphin 10 місяців тому +1

      The MBTI test isn't inherently overselling. It is asking questions to examine from the responses what kind of basic personality someone is. Not rocket science. I personally found it quite accurate, after doing the countertest, so calling it nearly horoscope-level is not something I agree with.

    • @coweatsman
      @coweatsman 9 місяців тому +1

      The MBTI test must be testing for something because the 16 groups are unevenly populated, not the expected 6% each you would predict for just fortune telling. INFP is a fraction of ESTJ for example. I have consistently scored INFP on the MBTI. The question is whether what is being tested is important. Whether it is personality which is being tested or just one's preferences.

    • @Dowlphin
      @Dowlphin 9 місяців тому

      @@coweatsman What is also important to consider is that MBTI does not make harsh distinctions but gives a weight to the four main scales, which implies that someone can be a certain degree of several personality types. It is more like a homing in on a bias that is expressed with a term like "INFP", meaning an INFP might behave a bit like an INTP in certain situations, but much less than an INFP.
      I for example tested with a very moderate weight towards extroverted, so I could be best described as both an ENFJ and an INFJ.

  • @JoBrew
    @JoBrew Рік тому +1

    Psychological placebo??

    • @socialneuro
      @socialneuro  Рік тому

      Perhaps!!

    • @Dowlphin
      @Dowlphin 10 місяців тому

      @@socialneuro Here is somerhing fun to ponder: If perceived reality is an illusion, then what is the potential power of the placebo effect? 😉

  • @hariman7727
    @hariman7727 10 місяців тому

    What about the duplicability issue?
    EDIT: Also... Anthony "THE SCIENCE!" Fauci, and anyone claiming to be an "expert" on global warming.

  • @themasculinismmovement
    @themasculinismmovement 10 місяців тому +1

    I too was seduced by this philosophical pseudo-science and motivational speaking, because it makes you feel good to listen to. It's very seductive.

  • @user-nn1cl8ow7b
    @user-nn1cl8ow7b 10 місяців тому +2

    This video asks for a reaction in two layers. First the content: the difference between 'qualified' and 'able' is completely denied. Only the last is relevant; the planet is crawling with fully qualified idiots. Tony Robbins is zero qualified, but in quarters of top-mangement regarded as very able indeed. And judging him on ONE of the countless insights he has produced is scientifically (!) very unsound. Jordan Peterson, of whom not a single specific viewpoint is criticized, has not only sold millions of books, but also posted hundreds of hours of his academic lectures on youtube and they are of outstanding scientific and didactical quality, especially the 2017 series about personality. Branding these two 'gurus' as snakeoil-sellers is a very dear mistake and the only warning the video gives is that buying their books or attending their presentations costs money. That touches the second layer: after viewing the video, I could not help percieving a faint smell of envy in the air.

  • @dd-ly4lx
    @dd-ly4lx 11 місяців тому +3

    Excellent! This should be a required issue to be taught in our schools. Except in Florida.

  • @Dowlphin
    @Dowlphin 10 місяців тому

    Your Myers-Briggs critique I would call weak, because the very nature of the test analyzes personality based on behavior. Sure, the participant needs to be honest about themselves, but apart from that it is quite straightforward if the questionnaire is thorough enough to produce enough samples and avoid inaccuracy.
    At lest for me personally (via Humanmetrics) it described my strengths and weaknesses quite well, and other classifications in the test did not, so it cannot be called horoscope-level where everything kinda fits.
    As a career path advice for example it seems quite useful.
    And on a meta level the enlightenment gained from learning about the test is also useful for interpersonal understanding. It cultivates awarness of how 'hardcoded' people can be in certain ways of responding to stimuli. Then "Why is he being such a jerk?" can turn into "Oh, he got difficulty with that aspect of our interaction."

  • @kj4242
    @kj4242 10 місяців тому +1

    What scientific evidence does the speaker have to support his ideas about racism and sexism.

  • @pablorages1241
    @pablorages1241 10 місяців тому

    Psychology tried to follow the scientific method because they were so scared of being called a "soft" science by the "hard" sciences ... but in the recent past ... probably from around the time of DSM5 they've really lost their way ... qualitative research has taken over from quantitative ... to the point new research is almost unusable ... the profession has been taken over by activists worried about feelings instead of facts ... pushing ridiculous post modernist ideology to the point that client care has been tossed aside in favour of maintaining an ideology ... the way the APA has forced gender affirming "care" on to psychologists is disgusting and just one example of psychology moving away from science to politics !

  • @ADarkMindsArt
    @ADarkMindsArt 10 місяців тому

    hahahaha

  • @kj4242
    @kj4242 10 місяців тому

    I am surprised that he does not worry or wonder which of his deeply held beliefs will be shown to be silly

  • @cherrypixie7350
    @cherrypixie7350 Рік тому +9

    Excellent topic to cover! Jordan Peterson especially annoys me. He uses basic psychology takes, that anyone would have, to hook people in and make them think that he is super profound and helpful. Then, he uses that platform to spread hate, particularly sexism and transphobia, to a wide range of susceptible people. Growing up with teenage boys and seeing them idolise people like Peterson, and Ben Shapiro, makes me truly sad. It also shows a large lack of critical thinking. Andrew Tate also uses similar techniques, with his basic life advice hooking boys in, and then spewing hate.

    • @Work-in-progress1.1
      @Work-in-progress1.1 Рік тому +11

      I do not agree with you, @cherrypixie7350
      Jordan Peterson is none of the things you described. He has a wife who he loves and respects. He teaches young men to take responsibility for their lives instead of whine and take a victim stance. He respects all people, including homosexuals.
      He as well as Ben Shapiro teach that principles are important. This teaching is based in love they have for humanity.
      I’m a 36 year old woman and I welcome this with open hands as they help young men become true men that care about their loved ones and the society as a whole. There’s nothing wrong with that.

    • @socialneuro
      @socialneuro  Рік тому +6

      He's certainly a polarising figure. Most gurus are! :)

    • @Dowlphin
      @Dowlphin 10 місяців тому +2

      @@Work-in-progress1.1 I would say he feeds on the energy of dualistic societal conflict for personal gratification. Using rhetoric like "spewing hate" indicates a triggering of bigotry of 'the other tribe'. He is only responsible for the questionable approach of his communication, but not for the questionable responses and perceptions of others.
      I.e. he is a willing participant in the big theater spectacle that I find very sighworthy.

    • @liamhickey359
      @liamhickey359 9 місяців тому

      @@Work-in-progress1.1 what is saying to young men these days. That he's literally seen the double helix whilst on hallucinogenics?. Plugging his daughters Lions Lair website on Joe Rogan telling the very same men you are on about and anybody else listening that his daughters meat only diet cured him of his depression and medications. He was on literally on meds when he was saying this. Within in a year or so, he has a complete mental breakdown going through a clonazepam detox. His "Message to Muslims" ? Calling on Shia and Sunni to kiss and make up , unite with Christians and Jews in a crusade against " woke cultural marxists". Young men would be better off smoking pot , than listening to this shit.

    • @kddidit08
      @kddidit08 9 місяців тому +1

      I once heard a wonderfully fitting description of JP's "advice":
      "Half of what he says is made up and the other half is obvious."

  • @Christian_Prepper
    @Christian_Prepper 10 місяців тому +2

    *JEALOUS MUCH?*
    5:45 *Criticized for promoting "unscientific" ideas??? "How dare anyone promote any idea that isn't based on rigorous scientific scrutiny and peer reviewed!" -- Sarcasm.*
    *This was simultaneously an idiot and elitist position to take and continues to be proven faulty.*
    6:05 And yet they have been working for decades so well that hundreds of thousands of lives have been saved and improved through Tony's work.
    Your other videos are good. This one is sad for you and I can't believe you wasted your time.

  • @user-ky5dy5hl4d
    @user-ky5dy5hl4d 10 місяців тому

    Religious leaders use the same crap.