ABSTRACT
Contrary to popular opinion, psychology is all about human relationships. Many people carry around a lifetime delusion about psychology—that the subject refers only to a head trip. The word commonly refers to the science of human behavior, and the connotation is investigating mental disorders. Many skeptically ask how anyone could study scientifically a subject as broad as human behavior. Many say that human beings are so unpredictable that no scientific control is possible. Interestingly, the psychological theories that most closely fit popular cultural notions contain some of the most scientifically manageable concepts. Behavioral therapy may be the most empirical component within the general field because of an exclusive interest in observable phenomena. The shortcoming of pure behavioral thinking is an airtight disavowal of cognitive mapping. I call this kind of fuzziness “shooting-yourself-in-the-foot therapy,” which insists on counseling someone with no reference to mental pictures about goals, hopes, dreams, and private logic. This approach to a topic that is, after all, mostly in a person’s head is like swimming with one arm tied up around your head.
