This is a question that a friend, who is a history teacher, asked me recently. It got me curious what you guys think about this question.
I don't believe it is as all knowning as some people believe it is.
Psychology is absolutely a science, but it is a difficult science to accurately falsify. The standard hypothetico dedictive reasoning approach relies heavily upon observable patterns through data analysis and pschoanalysis rarely yields quantitative data. This makes it all too easy to fall for the correlation=causation problem. Behavioral analysis is usually more reliable than most psychological methodologies, but it relies upon long-term observations that can be difficult to translate into accurate patterns. Ultimately though, psychology attempts to find answers through a process of rationality and deductive reasoning and that's exactly what science is.
My dad was a pychologist, and even he admitted that it was really psuedo-science. Unusual for him to admit anything. It certainly is a valid area of study, and we need more real science to support some of the claims psychologists make. Certainly it benefits thousands or millions of individuals in need of counseling, therapy and support.
I find it very interesting to try to understand what motivates people. I find Jungian psychology linking human behaviors and thoughts to archetypes such as the Hero, the Maiden, Crone, Witch, Warrior, Wizard, etc. intriguing, as well as interpreting fairy tales, origin myths and dreams. Then again, as Freud said, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.
As someone who has battled clinical depression for about 20 years I wholeheartedly say yes. I would have killed myself long ago without medication and therapy.
Psychology is a branch of science. Some call it a "soft" science." Some of the early theories are not science. I am a non-practicing LMLP. In grad school, I used the same scientific method as other sciences and produced research. It is not the same as something like math or chemistry. People are very variable so the research uses statistics. The definition of psychology is:
the scientific study of the human mind and its functions, especially those affecting behavior in a study of the mind, the science of the mind.
It's funny that you had a history teacher ask you this, because I had a history professor/economics professor who called 'psychology' suckiology. He was one of the greatest professors I had during college...the other one being my psychology instructor...haha....funny that people who deny the validity of psychology are the easiest to manipulate...hehe
Some therapists just blow smoke up your ass. I had a g/f who was an alcoholic who was going to a therapist. This idiot blamed me for not wanting my g/f to drink while she was driving. I mean literally, open beers while on the road. Maybe some are OK, but some need a punch in the face.