TL;DR – Psychology should be considered a legitimate science because it uses the same scientific methodology as the so called ‘legitimate sciences’ and is equally as useful in aiding our understanding of the natural, man-made and social worlds. I’d like to begin with what a science and what psychology literally are and what constitutes being defined as either one of them. - The Science Council defines science as ‘the pursuit and application of knowledge and understanding of the natural and social world following a systematic methodology based on evidence.’ - https://sciencecouncil.org/about-science/our-definition-of-science/ - The British Psychological Society states that psychology is the ‘study of the mind and how it dictates and influences our behaviour’ and uses ‘observation, measurement, and testing, in order to form conclusions that are based on sound scientific methodology.’ - https://www.bps.org.uk/public/what-is-psychology By looking at these definitions side by side, I argue that, psychology should be considered a legitimate science because: • Psychology studies the mind of our own species which means that it teaches us a lot about how the ‘natural and social world(s)’ work in an equally useful and complex way as biology, chemistry and physics do. • The methods of ‘observation, measurement, and testing’ that legitimise the knowledge of biology, chemistry and physics are also used in psychology which makes the science as factually sound and legitimate as the other sciences. • In biology, chemistry and physics, the effect of the related area of study is applied to the human body and our society. For example chemical drug use, physical illnesses or the environment. The human mind therefore is something that massively impacts science in general. Because of this, the study of ‘the mind and how it dictates and influences behaviour’ is just as legitimate as the study of for example space as it is so much more impactful on our everyday lives and on our society. • We are a huge part of the ‘natural world’ and exist ourselves in complex societies that have irreparably altered the natural world. So the study of psychology is crucial as it is key to our understandings of the modern world in which we live. • The ‘social world’ that “legitimate sciences” are in ‘pursuit … of knowledge’ about faces many issues. Crime, poverty, prejudice, violence, illness, addiction, the list goes on. The science of psychology strives for increased ‘knowledge and understanding’ of all of these things and more in our ‘social world’ which makes its usefulness and legitimacy undeniable.

I uh... It is. Is this an American thing? Not considering Psychology as legitimate? In the UK its well respected as a (Social) science. Its not a Life Science or a Physical Science. Still a science.

Bro who says that psychology isn't a legitimate science????