Misused: Armchair Psychology

Armchair Psychology refers specifically to a speech pattern that is overly passive. Many people out there seem to think it applies to attempts at applying psychology without the training to do it properly.

From related links order provided by random.org's list randomizer:

• Go-Go Enslavement: Hard to tell, but I'd say misuse [1].
• Science Girls: misuse [2]
• Fora: Part of a list, but since it's paired with Internet Cold Reader, I'd say they have the wrong definition [1].
• Prim and Proper Bun: Very little context, but looks like misuse [3]
• Real Life Archive Two: misuse [4]
• Doctor Who S16 E1 "The Ribos Operation": Not enough context [2]
• My Little Unicorn: misuse [5]
• Charlie Sheen: misuse [6]
• Doctor Who – Classic Series Companions: not enough context [3]
• Boy Meets World: First one that obviously uses the trope correctly [1]
• Zoofights: misuse [7]
• Progress: X Just X [4]
• Not That Kind of Doctor: misuse [8]
• Lois & Clark: misuse [9]
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer S3E7 "Revelations": correct usage [2]
• Chibi-Robo!: misuse [10]
• Dysfunction Junction: misuse [11]
• 8-Bit Theater: misuse [12] (fighter does not follow the speech patterns in the comic linked)
• Monty Pythons The Meaing Of Life: misuse [13]
• Survivor: X Just X [5]
• Office Space: correct usage, maybe [3]
• Internet Cold Reader: I'll give it the benifit of the doubt. It's not clear, though [4]
• Intenet Detective: misuse [14]
• 6teen: not enough context [6]
• Red vs. Blue - Project Freelancer: correct usage [5]
• Angel S 02 E 06 Guise Will Be Guise: misuse [15]
• Those Who Stand for Nothing Fall for Anything misuse [16]
• The Librarians: correct usage [6]
• My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic: misuse [17]
• My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic S2 E3 "Lesson Zero": misuse [18]
• Broken Masquerade: misuse [19]
• SHOW: X Just X [7]
• All Psychology Is Fruedian: misuse [20]
• Self-Demonstrating Article: How did they manage to misuse it on an index where it's actually an example? [21]
• But I'm a Cheerleader: not enough context [8]
• Nip/Tuck: proper usage? or is the response correcting it? [7]
• Gender Confusion: not enough context [9]
• Armchair Survivor: not enough context [10]
• The Stinger: misuse [22]
• Armchair Psychology: correct [8]
• Language Tropes: Part of a list, but it does apply to this list [9]
• American Dad!: X Just X [12]
• Young Justice - Other Characters: misuse [23]
• I Read That As/A-F: no context [13]
• Psychology Tropes: Part of a list [14]
• Zetto San: an empty page
• Elenco Provvisorio A: no idea [15]
• Office Space: correct [10]
• The Dream of Perpetual Motion: misuse [24]
• Mister Rogers' Neighborhood: X Just X [16]

That makes 24 incorrect usages, 16 without context, and 10 that are used correctly. I suggest this get a new title. Possibly Psychology Speak.

That's a horribly misleading name.

Yeah, this name is a horrible choice.

Yeah, definitely needs a rename. Passive Tone Of Analysis?

1)Wow is that a terrible name. I mean, wow.

2)After reading that, I have know idea what the trope is about. I think it's supposed to be a Self-Demonstrating Article....but is failing. Also, it seems like the original writer has issues. A clear description of what their talking about would help. It's supposed to be a description of a speech patterned used to convey insincerity, but it's hard to tell exactly what it is from the description.

A better description of what it is would help coming up with a name. Every name I can think of is related to the meaning(False Friendly Speech or something), rather than the actual speech pattern described, so a new name seems prone to misuse in that way.

edited 16th Jun '13 4:29:03 PM by kiukiuclk

What a horrible misnaming, especially considering that the term Armchair Psychology has a well-established meaning outside this wiki that has nothing to do with the passive questioning-via-comment style the trope is defined as.

to rename.

edited 16th Jun '13 10:29:15 PM by StarSword

I also support a rename.

Also, the current description is awful. I chopped at it a bit in Sandbox.Armchair Psychology but it might use further redaction.

I'm not exactly familiar with the term, but I've mostly heard "armchair" as a prefix for hobby/non-professional stuff. Is that the commonly used meaning?

To me "armchair X" means "pretending understanding of X without being actually X, often from a safer position than X", as in Armchair Military.

In my experience, Septimus's definition of "Armchair X" is pretty close to exact. I'd say "claiming expertise" rather than "pretending expertise," personally, but that's a fairly minor difference. It also has the connotation of "learned everything they know about <X> in an armchair (that is, by reading about it or watching tv), so much of what they know is oversimplified or wrong."

edited 17th Jun '13 5:49:55 AM by Madrugada

I think "claiming expertise" is a bit too strong. It's not like it's fraud or anything. There's no lying involved. It's just talking like you're an expert, and perhaps judging people who are experts, without any practical experience or training yourself.

Like most people on the internet on any topic, basically.

1) Could one argue that the described trope is how armchair psychologists talk, and therefore the name is appropriate? (Not advancing it; just suggesting the only possible argument I can think of for the current name.)

2) Do we want to create a proper armchair psychology (or even more generalized armchair expert) trope, since no one's pointed out one so far in this thread?

1) I do not really think so...

2) Only if someone has a completed YKTTW ready, since otherwise we'll stall out forever. And I somewhat doubt the merits of the former.

So what would that answer for #2 mean for all those mistaken wicks? Just deletion?

I do not know. What sort of In-Universe examples exist for the misuse?

Yes. This trope has been on my to do list for fixing for over a year.

There's three directions this trope is heading in, and they're only vaguely connected. Probably because of the terribly nonspecific description. (It doesn't count as definition)

Direction 1- Alice tries to get Bob to express his feelings. "And how does that make you feel?". A valid psychology technique, often misused and mocked in fiction.

Direction 2- Alice plays the victim when Bob talks to her, interpreting what he says to be hurtful and untrue. This is like Mother in Tangled, and a bit like Umbridge. A technique of forum "debate" as well.

Direction 3- Alice is really creepy because this is the audio version of Stepford Smiler. This is also Umbridge, where she refuses to teach any actual spells for dark arts, and instead teaches "communication". Most likely direction 2 type.