The Use of Psychobabbles in Psychology PSY 2012 June 4, 2008 The Use of Psychobabbles in Psychology The word psychobabble was first used by R.D. Rosen, a journalist and an author, in 1975. The New Times Magazine then used the term as title of the cover story Psychobabble: The New Language of Candor. It was in 1977 though when the term gained popularity through the book entitled Psychobabble: Fast Talk and Quick Cure in the Era of Feeling published by Rosen. The book looks at the explosion of terminologies and treatments in psychology, whether in professional or non-professional scenes. Psychobabble is defined in the book as a derogatory word signifying a technical jargon in psychology that is being used outside its original purpose. Some people might use a specific psychological term in a different context and without really knowing the word’s real meaning. In that case, a psychobabble is formed. This situation would just denote the speaker’s incapability of understanding the proper use of a certain psychological word or term. However, in other cases, psychobabbles are perceived as jargon words denoting meanings beyond what scholars and trained practitioners accept. The frequent use of such psychobabbles can lead to the widespread exploitation of some psychological terms. Laypersons might use them to describe a thing inappropriate for the meaning of a psychological word. Worse, they might describe a non-clinical situation as a medical one, even if it is not. Today, psychobabbles are rampant in motivational seminars, management training, and popular psychology. Examples of Psychobabbles Synergy The word synergy means the event that happens when two or more agents are combined and created an effect greater than what was expected. A person who knows and understand the effects of each agent can better predict their synergy. An example of this is drug synergism, where two or more drugs combined interact to augment the characteristics of their effects. In...