The Two Things Game

Some time ago I read an article from a blog that I visit regularly about the two things you need to know about everything. The idea goes that there’re only two things you need to know about everything; the rest is just elaboration. I’m pretty impressed by the examples given on that blog and, as I’ve been pretty slow in updating, I borrowed that idea and developed my short list of the two things about psychology:

Psychology:
1. Nature predisposes an array of potentials.
2. Nurture either maximizes or trivializes them.

Cognitive therapy:
1. Perception is more important than reality.
2. There is no such thing as reality.

Psychoanalysis:
1. All human are sexual beings.
2. Nah, you don’t know that because it’s all in your unconscious.

Behavioural therapy:
1. Reinforce the positive behaviours.
2. Ignore the negative ones.

Evolutionary psychology:
1. What didn’t kill our ancestors makes us stronger.
2. Nature always trims the weakest link.

Being a counsellor:
1. Ask questions.
2. Listen and nod. Repeat #1.

Systematic desensitization:
1. Relax. Take it easy.
2. Take a small step forward every time.

Gender role stereotype:
1. Men are hunters.
2. Women are gatherers.

Being an educational psychologist in Hong Kong:
1. Give a diagnosis.
2. Make a referral.

Qualitative research:
1. Break the target behaviours into observable, measurable units.
2. No SPSS involved.

Quantitative research:
1. Does something happen by chance?
2. Or does it happen by choice (i.e. attributable to a specific factor)?

No, don’t take these seriously :) As the original writer points out,
1. People love to play the Two Things but they rarely agree about what the Two Things are.
2. That goes double for anyone who works with computers.