Psychology's Gordian Knot: Problems of Identity and Relevance

Psychology's identity as a scientific discipline, with a unique and diverse body of knowledge that is critical to the health of Canadians, is unfortunately not in keeping with its public image. Instead, psychology is often perceived as a nonspecific, nonscientific discipline, and one that is nonessential to Canada's health care mandate. We critically review discussions and evidence for how psychology has contributed to its own identity issues, and how, in turn, these have contributed to the underfunding and relative dearth of psychological services in Canada. Like a Gordian Knot, we emphasise how these issues are interrelated and mutually perpetuate a diminished image of psychology. Rather than untying this knot one thread at a time, we advocate for a more bold and unified approach to enhancing psychology's image. The challenge is not just to offer a better projection of what we already do, but also to improve upon and evolve what we do as scientists/practitioners. Ongoing efforts to remedy our identity challenges include the following: education campaigns to advance the distinctiveness and applicability of psychological science and practice; the refinement of our education and practices to be more evidence-based and in keeping with our training as scientists; and our need to expand beyond the mental health arena by increasing interprofessional collaborative training and practices, including in primary care settings. We discuss how redressing our image issues represent exciting opportunities for the growth of our discipline and ultimately, enhance the well-being of Canadians.