50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology (edit title/settings)

Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction; The Wide World of Psychomythology

Part 1. Brain Power; Myths about the Brain and Perception
1. Most people only use 10% of their brain power
2. Some people are left-brained, others are right-brained
3. Extrasensory perception is a well-establihsed scientific phenomenon
4. Visual perceptions are accompanied by tiny emissions from the eyes
5. Subliminal messages can persuade people to purchase products

Part 2. From Womb to Tomb; Myths about Development and Aging
6. Playing Mozart's music to infants boosts their intelligence
7. Adolescence is inevitably a time of physchological turmoil
8. Most people experience a midlife crisis in their 40s or early 50s
9. Old age is typically associated with increased dissatisfaction and senility

Part 3. A Remembrance of Things Past; Myths About Memory
11. Human memory works like a tape recorder or video camera, and accurately records the events we've experienced
12. Hypnosis is useful for retrieving memories of forgotten events
13. Individuals commonly repress the memories of traumatic experiences
14. Most people with amnesia forget all details of their earlier lives

Part 4. Teaching Old Dogs New Tricks; Myths About Intelligence and Learning
15. Intelligence tests are biased against certain groups of people
16. If you're unsure of your answer when taking a test, it's best to stick with your initial hunch
17. The defining feature of dyslexia is reversing letters
18. Students learn best when teaching styles are matched to their learning styles

Part 5. Altered States; Myths About Consciousness
19. Hypnosis is a unique "trance" state that differs in kind from wakefulness
20. Researchers have demonstrated that dreams possess symbolic meaning
21. Individuals can learn information , like new languages, while asleep
22. During "out-of-body" experiences, people's consciousness leaves their bodies

Part 6. I've Got a Feeling; Myths About Emotion and Motivation
23. The polygraph ("lie detector") test is an accurate menas of detecting dishonesty
24. Happiness is determined mostly by our external circumstances
25. Ulcers are cause primarily or entirely by stress
26. A positive attitude can stave off cancer

Part 7. The Social Animal; Myths About Interpersonal Behavior
27. Opposites attract: we are most romantically attracted to people who differ from us
28. Present at an emergency, the greater the chance that someone will intervene
29. Men and women communicate in completely different ways
30. It's better to express anger to others than to hold it in

Part 8. Know Thyself; Myths About Personality
31. Raising children similarly leads to similarities in their adult personalities
32. The fact that a trait is heritable means we can't change it
33. Low self-esteem is a major cause of psychological problems
34. Childhood develop severe personality distrubances in adulthood
35. People''s responses to inkblots tell us a great deal about their personality
36. Our handwriting reveals our personality traits

Part 9. Sad, Mad, and Bad; Myths About Mental Illness
37. Psychiatric labels cause harm by stigmatizing people
38. Only deeply depressed people commit suicide
39. People with schizophrenia have multiple personalities
40. Adult children of alcoholics display a distinct profil of symptoms
41. There's recently been a massive epidemic of infantile autism
42. Psychiatric hospital admissions and crimes increase during full moons

Part 10. Disorder in the Court; Myths About Psychology and the Law
43. Most mentally ill people are violent
44. Criminal profiling is helpful in solving cases
45. A large proportion of criminals successfully use the insanity defense
46. Virtually all people who confess to a crime are guilty of it

Part 11. Skills and Pills; Myths About Psychological Treatment
47. Expert judgment and intuition are the best means of making clinical decisions
48. Abstinence is the only realistic treatment goal for alcoholics
49. All effective psychotherapies force people to confront the "root" causes of their problems in childhood
50. Electrconvulsive ("shock") therapy is a physically dangerous and brutal treatment

Postscript; Truth is Stranger than Ficiton
Appendix; Recommended Websites for Exploring Psychomythology
References
Index