Person sitting in armchair, holding a cup of tea.

The Dangerous Rise of the “Armchair Psychologist”

Have you ever Googled your symptoms when you are sick? Normally, this search comes up with a list of scary possible diagnoses. However, after going to the GP and getting everything checked out, usually everything is fine. Having access to information at our fingertips does not necessarily mean we are trained to interpret this information correctly, and can in fact cause more harm than good sometimes.   

It appears that this has also been happening in the mental health space. You may not be familiar with the term “armchair psychologist”, but I am sure you have encountered one. An armchair psychologist is not a licensed mental health professional, nor have they undergone any training in the area. However, they provide mental health advice. They may believe they are helping, when in fact, this can have major consequences.

The armchair psychologist’s words of diagnosis and prognosis can be instrumental in the life of the person they are directing their opinion towards, and not in a good way. Because the armchair psychologist may have read self-help guides, and blogs, or faced their own mental health challenges, they often do not see the advice they give as subjective and therefore potentially inappropriate for someone else. 

The armchair psychologist is almost always attempting to justify something.

In providing advice, there is almost always something the armchair psychologist is trying to explain or justify. Commentary on the breakdown of a relationship, why someone did not attend an event, the reason behind someone’s relationship status, why someone did/did not get a promotion, and how someone chooses to spend their free time, are all examples of a potential armchair psychologist.

This justification is often related to a behaviour or a decision that concerns them personally, or that they have observed in another person that grates against them in a way they feel compelled to comment on, describe, and diagnose.

Another defining feature of an armchair psychologist is that they present themselves as an authority. To differentiate, there is a (admittedly, sometimes fine) line between a funny TikTok, and providing information as an apparent authority. There is also often nothing wrong with a person sharing their own experience (though this can depend on context).  However, when an assumption is made that their experience equates to another person’s experience, that is when trouble happens and they cross over into armchair psychologist territory. We are all different, and even the exact same experience will be, pardon the pun, experienced differently. This means that advice, recommendations, diagnosis and prognosis that apply to one person may be nuanced and different for another.

The three most common actions of the armchair psychologist are to give advice, to diagnose, and to reason.

Advice

Unlike a registered psychologist, an armchair psychologist likes to do the talking and isn’t the best at listening. The armchair psychologist’s goal is to provide their two cents on what they think you and the world to be. They will generally use psychological terms, theories, and labels to reinforce their point.

What the armchair psychologist does not know is a therapist operates in a different way. Most of the time, a therapist won’t directly tell their client what to do, but instead offer a space of unconditional support and acceptance. This is so the person can come to their own conclusions and make informed decisions. Trained psychologists aim to have their client grow to feel confident that they know themselves enough to make a decision, not rely solely on direction from others.

Diagnose

Humans have a natural desire to describe and, unfortunately, label things that challenge or confuse us. If we can assign a label, then we feel like we can understand a person or situation better. However, when we label mental distress and disorders without training, we are more than likely going to label them incorrectly.

Diagnosing a mental health condition is a complex and challenging process, where the symptoms of different mental health conditions may present in quite similar ways and need to be taken in context. For example, Borderline Personality Disorder and complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder can be quite hard to differentiate.  Therefore, it is potentially quite harmful to provide an individual with an armchair diagnosis without rigorous training. 

Reason

Some people use armchair psychology to explain or draw conclusions about their own personal behaviours and decisions. The danger in this is that the person may misuse or not fully understand the concepts, and so, they may come to a misinformed decision.

Psychology is a six-year degree, and many say the bulk of the learning doesn’t happen until you are on placement or in the workforce dealing with real people. There is then a career-long expectation that you will engage in continuous learning to stay across emerging research. Comparatively, a self-help book, online forum, or Instagram post does not give a person licence to make conclusions about their own mental health.

That said, if you read something and it does resonate with you, I would highly recommend connecting with a registered psychologist to explore further. Together, with you being the expert on your experience, and with the therapist bringing their deep knowledge of psychology research, you can explore this in a way that is safe, supportive, and evidence-based.  

Armchair psychology is often a barrier to enjoying psychological well-being and getting the help you really need

It may seem like a harmless activity to speculate, label, and provide advice on your own or another’s behaviours. However, there are significant implications to this pastime we should all be aware of.

One big issue is the way it reinforces the boundary between normal versus abnormal, and healthy versus unhealthy. When a label is voiced, it is often done in a manner to “other” the person, who may actually be functioning just fine. The person may then believe this label, internalise, and feel and feel bad about themselves.

Perhaps the most negligent consequence of armchair psychology is the way it can so easily eliminate opportunities for genuine and appropriate support. If someone rushes to a conclusion, they may not come to the correct conclusion. Then when a person seeks support, they’re doing so from an incorrect baseline.

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If you have an armchair psychologist in your life, here is a great blog that has a list of tips for how to deal with difficult people. You can also learn when it is time to seek professional mental health support here, and can learn more about this process by reaching  out to our support team!