An Unpopular Opinion on Pop Psychology

There is no time like the present when it comes to the proliferation of therapy talk. If you never ventured beyond TikTok or Instagram, you’d think there’s a narcissist around every corner, your perfectionism is thinly veiled OCD, and you’re one codependent relationship away from irreparable damage. 

The Benefits of Pop Psychology

There are certainly benefits to incorporating pop psychology terms into the wider vernacular and culture. If it hadn’t been for Brene Brown’s TED talk on shame and vulnerability or Andrew Huberman’s neuroscience tidbits, many people would still be stuck in unhealthy cycles with little awareness or hope for change. 

Simply put, pop psychology normalizes experiences that may be stigmatized or relegated to the periphery of “normal” society. People who may have formerly felt ostracized or ashamed of their problems may become more open to seeking help. They may discover language for what they’re experiencing and be comforted by the realization that they are not as “abnormal” as they previously assumed. Information about different mental or relational conditions can be empowering and encourage people to advocate for themselves and seek change.

Where Pop Psychology Goes Wrong

Given that therapists are generally in the business of empowering people, of making people comfortable with discomfort, why are some psychologists up in arms about the normalization of pop psychology terms? Two prevalent concerns emerge when one considers the prevalence of mental health speak online and elsewhere.

Misinformation regarding mental and relational issues

With the rise of mental health and therapy accounts online, anyone with a phone and internet access can claim expertise in a given topic. If a given piece of content gains enough popularity, it is often believed regardless of its accuracy. 

Only occasionally can someone’s credentials be verified, and even then, most people won’t take the time to check or corroborate with other sources. For this reason, false information regarding mental disorders, treatments, trauma, and relational problems abounds. For example, a study conducted by researchers at the University of Colorado found that social media videos with false information about depression influenced people’s opinions on the disorder even after they found out it was untrue.

But the buck doesn’t stop there. It turns out that not only can false information on social media cause misconceptions about mental illness, it can actually cause mental illness. 

Mental disorders that were once reserved to the confines of a psychotherapist’s or psychiatrist’s office are now being diagnosed with fervor on social media. When someone hears a list of criteria for a mental illness, accurate or not, they may adopt the diagnosis without the burden of proof. Take, for example, the rise in tic disorders in teen girls from viewing TikToks with Tourette’s-related content. Other sociogenic illnesses–or conditions that involve strange symptoms and are shared by many people in the same group–are believed to find their origins in social media as well.

Watering down of clinically significant conditions and experiences

As stated above, pop psychology concepts such as trauma, gaslighting, and neurodivergence can provide helpful language, a frame of reference for people to understand their lived experience. 

However, when these terms are dispensed too loosely, they can be harmful at worst and invalidating at best. When your dentist asks you a question and then digs around in your molars looking for cavities, they aren’t gaslighting you. Your friend at school who talks about themselves a lot is not necessarily a narcissist. When we take run-of-the-mill experiences and pathologize them, we risk dismissing those who have legitimately suffered from a narcissistic parent or have been debilitated by their OCD. 

Don’t get me wrong: each of us has experienced suffering, pain, and hardship unique to ourselves. Your experiences are valid, and your pain is real. Seek answers, and get the help you need to live a healthy and fulfilled life–just don’t limit your search to a ten-second TikTok.