• Question: what is the most annoying question/request you get asked as a Psychologist?

    Asked by anon-204913 to Sally, Lucy, Louise, James, David, Dan on 4 Mar 2019. This question was also asked by anon-204914, anon-204917, anon-204916.
    • Photo: Lucy Maddox

      Lucy Maddox answered on 4 Mar 2019:

      Quite often people say “can you read my mind?” (which I can’t!) Or sometimes people ask if I am analysing them. I think most psychologists are too busy worrying about over-analysing themselves to be analysing everyone else! I certainly am anyway 🙂

    • Photo: Louise Rodgers

      Louise Rodgers answered on 4 Mar 2019:

      Good question! I can’t think of any annoying questions I get really, but it does make me cringe when people use words or say things that are old-fashioned or judgemental, like ‘what’s wrong with the children you usually work with?’ Or use words like ‘retarded’ or ‘moron’ which I think are actually from the Victorian times!

    • Photo: Dan Taylor

      Dan Taylor answered on 4 Mar 2019:

      I can agree with Lucy, having people ask if I can read their mind, I never said I could, as far as i’m aware I haven’t got that power! I also get the question about analysing people too, and much like Lucy I spend too much time analysing myself! Sometimes people assumed I am really good at maths just because I do a PhD – which I always found a strange association. I can do some stats but I couldn’t do mental arrhythmic if my life depended on it! Thankfully i’ve never been in a maths based life or death situation yet so it hasn’t been too much of an issue!

    • Photo: Sally Tilt

      Sally Tilt answered on 4 Mar 2019:

      This is one of my favourite questions!

      Lucy and Dan’s answers made me smile – the ‘mind reading’ question is something I’ve been asked quite a bit too.

      I can think of one friend’s husband, who kept asking me whether particular famous people were actually psychopaths – I think he was a bit obsessed with the idea of a psychopath – perhaps from watching too many psychological thriller films!

    • Photo: James Munro

      James Munro answered on 10 Mar 2019:

      Them: “What do you do?”
      Me: “I’m a psychologist”
      Them: “Haha oooh, so are you analysing everything I say?”
      Me: “No, i’m not that sort of psychologist”
      Them: “Oh. What do you do all day then?”

      The general public have no idea what psychology is. That’s annoying – but I try to remember it is my responsibility to give psychology the understanding it deserves. That’s why I’m on here, right?

    • Photo: David Chadwick

      David Chadwick answered on 11 Mar 2019:

      Any question about being a psychologist, because I am not 🙂

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