Editing Popular psychology (section)

===Popularization of psychology===
It was not until the more powerful movement of [[applied psychology]] that popularity in psychology grew to affect people's everyday lives. The work of G. Stanley Hall in [[educational psychology]] led changes in the approaches of teaching and the Child-Study movement, supported in experimental psychology, and guided [[educational reform]].

Several [[critics]] warned that applying experimental psychology to education may be problematic. In 1898, Münsterberg wrote a controversial article entitled "The Danger from Experimental Psychology" in which he claims the impossible transfer of experimental results into successful teaching practices.<ref>Benjamin, 2006</ref>

Despite the disagreements, [[popular culture]] grasped onto the implications in the field of applied psychology with the hope that the research could improve their lives. Early applications included [[clinical psychology]], [[business]], [[industrial psychology]], and the psychology of [[advertising]]. Furthermore, the onset of [[World War I]] led to advances in psychology brought about by its application in [[military psychology]].

The [[media (communication)|media]] provided the public more accessible psychological information through the publication of countless books and popular magazines including ''Harpers'', ''Forum'', ''Atlantic Monthly'', and ''Colliers''. After WWI, demand grew for a more frequent source of popular psychology and newspapers became a primary source of public information. In fact, newspaper columns were so well-received that professional psychologist Jastrow had a column entitled ''Keeping Mentally Fit'' that appeared in more than 150 newspapers in the 1920s.<ref name="Benjamin, 1986"/>{{rp|943}}

Soon, public demand for psychological services and information grew so fierce that the availability of legitimate research and real psychologists became insufficient. Consequently, nonprofessionals began to offer their services under the guise of psychologists.

The [[American Psychological Association]] (APA) responded with an effort to establish official certifications for trained psychologists. However, popular interest overlooked the qualifications and eagerly sought to apply popular psychological science regardless of its validity.<ref name="Benjamin, 1986"/>{{rp|943}}

Short-lived, the excitement over useful psychology was curbed by articles warning of the exaggerated and false claims made by popular psychology. [[Stephen Leacock]] described the changing popularity in psychology in 1924, stating,
<blockquote>
As part of the new researches, it was found that psychology can be used... for almost everything in life. There is now not only psychology in the academic or college sense, but also a Psychology of Business, Psychology of Education, a Psychology of Salesmanship, a Psychology of Religion... and a Psychology of Playing the Banjo. In short, everybody has his.<ref>Leacock, 1924, pp.471-472</ref>
</blockquote>

Others authored similar cautions to the public and, among the most recursive, was that of [[Grace Adams (psychologist)]] who, in her 1928 article, wrote
<blockquote>
a vociferous attack on applied psychology [and] argued that psychology had forsaken its scientific roots so that individual psychologists might achieve popularity and prosperity.<ref>p.944 (as cited in Benjamin, 1986)</ref>
</blockquote>

After the [[Great Depression|Depression]] hit in 1929, popular literature began to decline while scientific publications in periodicals increased. This discrepancy between the public sector and [[academia]] supported the popular belief that professional psychologists were not interested in solving America's problems. The lack of professional participation provided [[pseudoscientific]] and unprofessional psychological literature to become very popular. In the 1930s, self-help books and the publication of three magazines (''[[Modern Psychologist]]'', ''[[Practical Psychology Monthly]]'', and ''[[Psychology Digest]]'') became part of a popular psychology movement.<ref name="Benjamin, 1986"/>{{rp|944}}

[[World War II]] gave professional psychology another chance to prove its value as a science with an increase in professional opportunities. In the article "Don't They Understand Us? A history of Psychology's Public Image", [[Ludy T. Benjamin|Benjamin]] describes the direction of psychology at the time:
<blockquote>
The praise psychologists received from government, industry, and the military provided a tremendous boost for the public image of psychology... Yet many contemporary psychologists are concerned that the current image is far from acceptable and that the science and profession of psychology continues to suffer because of that image.<ref name="Benjamin, 1986" />{{Rp|page=945}}
</blockquote>