The growing interest in psychology over the last two decades has led to the subject slowly and then rapidly moving away from its scientific framework. People from all walks of life, those who have been educated in different disciplines, those who could not find satisfaction in their professional journeys, or those who felt blocked, “embraced” psychology. If hugging meant seeking help, it would certainly be viewed positively. Many of these people, by following semi-structured or unstructured paths, or by building their own paths, considered themselves experts in helping others.
In response to this interest in psychology, private universities have filled not only their psychology departments but also their master’s programs without prerequisites. I have witnessed in the past years that the lack of faculty members to respond to this interest is not a problem. At a foundation university where I was invited as a speaker for Psychology Days, all the faculty members were pediatricians.
Those who did not even pass through such an educational institution wrote cut-and-paste books from books written in different languages. Some were more courageous and produced personality tests, recognizing the need in business life. The most daring example came out of Sweden, a culture where norms are influential, and spread beyond the country’s borders to the world. Thomas Ericson’s Surrounded by Idiots, a book believed to be written by an expert in the field and describing human psychology, sold more than 100,000 copies in Sweden and generated more