Campus Review Vol 31. Issue 06 - June 2021 | Page 22

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You do what ?

Scholars explain three of academia ’ s most misunderstood fields .
By Wade Zaglas

Apart from disciplines like law , medicine and education , others can provoke bemused looks among the public and “ dismissive frowns ” from academics in other departments . In this special piece from Times Higher Education ( THE ), several academics demystify their fields and explain why they matter .

PSYCHOLOGY Kim Cornish is Sir John Monash distinguished professor of psychology at the Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health , Monash University , where Andrew Dawson is a postdoctoral researcher
Cornish and Dawson both hold PhDs in psychology where they regularly address misconceptions from both the public and their colleagues about what psychology is . As they eloquently put it , they are “ neither [ a ] doctor or Freud ”.
Despite neither having seen a client in their lives , they are sometimes thought of as psychotherapists , a distinct , evidence- based approach that some professional psychologists – but not all – deliver . The other common misconception is that they practise Freudian psychoanalysis , which “ professional psychologists do not administer ”.
Another misconception is that psychologists and psychiatrists are interchangeable , when nothing could be further from the truth .
“ We don ’ t administer medication , treat patients or hold medical degrees ,” they state .
“ We do work in mental health and occasionally publish in psychiatrically focused journals , but psychiatry and psychology are distinct professions .”
While both are unsure as to how widespread these misconceptions are , the scholars do not find them irksome in general .
“ Far more infuriating is the belief among some academics that psychology is a ‘ soft ’ science – the poor , ‘ wishy-washy ’ cousin of biology , chemistry and physics ,” they say .
“ In fact , psychology has a rich experimental history dating back to the 1830s , when visionary German experimentalists such as Gustav Fechner , Hermann von Helmholtz and Wilhelm Wundt set up the first psychology laboratories and diagnostic systems .
“ Since then , psychology has made a number of breakthroughs and discoveries , even if not at the rate of other sciences . Examples include advances in our understanding of human language , attention , memory , learning , emotion , decision-making , visual processing , sleep , intergroup processes , morality and mental illness and its psychosocial treatments ( such as cognitive behavioural therapy ).”
Both academics believe that clarifying the true nature of psychology in a “ postfacts ” era is critical , especially when one considers academics ’ influence over the general public .
“ If they misinform the public about what psychology is , people may avoid seeking its help ,” Cornish and Dawson attest .
“ If confused with psychoanalysis , psychology might suffer the same negative stereotypes ( such as that it involves lying on a couch and recounting one ’ s earliest sexual desires ).
“ If confused with psychiatry , the public might be disappointed to find that an appointment with a psychologist means neither seeing a medical doctor nor receiving medication .”
MEDIA STUDIES Cynthia B . Meyers is professor of communication at the College of Mount Saint Vincent
Media scholar Professor Cynthia Meyers often has to correct “ puzzled fellow academics ” that her scholarship does not involve analysing news , penning television reviews or measuring media effects . Meyers has also seen “ eyebrows furrow ” as she explains that neither her opinions nor assessments of the quality of films and television programs are relevant to her research .
It has nothing to do with “ Keeping up with the Kardashians ” as television entertainment ( but more on that later ).
As she explains in THE , media studies is a subject area , not a discipline , comprising a variety of topics and methodologies .
“ The thesis of my MA in communications was on the advertising industry of the 1950s and ’ 60s , and my PhD in radiotelevision-film focused on the role of the advertising industry in early broadcasting ,” Meyers says .
“ I took courses in many departments , including art history , sociology , American Studies and history .
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