A clinical psychologist told the wife of a young man, "I am sorry to inform you that your husband is psychotic. Psychotic people have thoughts that are disordered and out of touch with reality. Because your husband's thoughts are very disordered and he seems out of touch with conventional reality, I have concluded that he is psychotic." Which thinking or argumentation errors is this psychologist MOST likely showing?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The psychologist is showing circular reasoning by defining psychosis as having disordered thoughts and being out of touch with reality, and then concluding the husband is psychotic because he has these characteristics. This is a circular argument because the conclusion is essentially the same as the premise.

A Clinical Psychologist Told the Wife of a Young Man