Asked about a recently published study showing that little girls do not have penis envy, a psychodynamic theorist immediately says that the little girls are all in denial and do not want to admit to the feelings that they have. This response is an example of:

A) basing theories on the retrospective accounts of adults.
B) overgeneralization.
C) the illusion of causality.
D) violating the principle of falsifiability.

Question

McKenzie Carson · Accepted Answer

Final Answer : D, Explanation :  The response is an example of violating the principle of falsifiability because it dismisses evidence that contradicts the theory by suggesting that the evidence (the girls' denial) cannot be used to disprove the theory. This makes the theory non-falsifiable, as any evidence against it is explained away rather than used to reconsider the theory's validity.

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