Janusz Grzelak
Faculty of Psychology, University of Warsaw
Abstract:
Witkowski’s first paper on psychotherapy rather fooled naive, nonprofessional readers than provoked the academic and publishing community to serious discussion on a relationship between science, pseudoscience and business. It seems likely that the main victims of the publications were those to whom „Charaktery” are addressed: laymen not equipped with methodological tools to judge the reliability of the message. The justification of that manipulation provided by Witkowski and Fortuna in „Social Psychology” as well as the categorization or typology of academic community reactions looks like an arbitrary selection of defense mechanisms with a little value added. Finally, the empirical study of the text’s reception is below methodological standards. The publication of this article as the leading paper of „Social Psychology” issue seems to be unjustified promotion of junk science.
Keywords: true and false, moral and methodological standards
Cite this article as:
Grzelak, J. (2008). Do curves straighten curves?. Psychologia Społeczna, 9, 326-328.