An excellent Letter to the Editor appeared in Monitor on Psychology (Jan. 2003, 10) in response to an article about the apparent "need" to alter students' thinking regarding the paranormal:

"The November article, Reducing Student Belief in the Paranormal, triggered one of my greatest dissatisfactions with our profession. The title assumes that a belief in the paranormal must be confronted as scientifically unsupportable. Similar approaches in psychology often exist with other areas such as religion.

It is just this approach that, I believe, allows many to simply discount psychology as insignificant when it constantly confronts what is accepted by a majority of people. Until psychology develops the ability to challenge commonly held viewpoints without appearing elitist or arrogant, it is the belief in psychology that will suffer, not the belief in the paranormal or religion. It is wise to discover why a wall was constructed before it is torn down." —Elliot (Tim) Faris, PhD., Memphis, Tenn.

Damn well said, Tim!