A Metaphysics of Psychopathology
A Metaphysics of Psychopathology
Zachar, Peter
product information
Condition: New, UPC: 9780262027045, Publication Date: Sat, March 1, 2014, Type: Hardcover ,
join & start selling
description
0

An exploration of what it means to think about psychiatric disorders as "real," "true," and "objective" and the implications for classification and diagnosis.

In psychiatry, few question the legitimacy of asking whether a given psychiatric disorder is real; similarly, in psychology, scholars debate the reality of such theoretical entities as general intelligence, superegos, and personality traits. And yet in both disciplines, little thought is given to what is meant by the rather abstract philosophical concept of "real." Indeed, certain psychiatric disorders have passed from real to imaginary (as in the case of multiple personality disorder) and from imaginary to real (as in the case of post-traumatic stress disorder). In this book, Peter Zachar considers such terms as "real" and "reality"--invoked in psychiatry but often obscure and remote from their instances--as abstract philosophical concepts. He then examines the implications of his approach for psychiatric classification and psychopathology.

Proposing what he calls a scientifically inspired pragmatism, Zachar considers such topics as the essentialist bias, diagnostic literalism, and the concepts of natural kind and social construct. Turning explicitly to psychiatric topics, he proposes a new model for the domain of psychiatric disorders, the imperfect community model, which avoids both relativism and essentialism. He uses this model to understand such recent controversies as the attempt to eliminate narcissistic personality disorder from the DSM-5. Returning to such concepts as real, true, and objective, Zachar argues that not only should we use these metaphysical concepts to think philosophically about other concepts, we should think philosophically about them.

reviews

Be the first to write a review

member goods

No member items were found under this heading.

notems store

Doctor Who: Twelve Angels Weeping

by Rudden, Dave

Hardcover /Hardcover

$13.49

Johnny Boo and the Mean ...

by Kochalka, James

Hardcover /Hardcover

$8.46

A Life Worth Living Leaders' ...

by Gumbel, Nicky

Paperback /Paperback

$6.55

The Cat Who Sang for ...

by Braun, Lilian Jackson

Paperback /Mass Market Paperbound

$6.79

listens & views

LIVE IN MONTREUX (GER)

by AGORA

COMPACT DISC

out of stock

$21.99

IMPRESSIONNABLE

by SKYE

COMPACT DISC

out of stock

$18.99

SQUARE DANCES

by PETE,PIUTE

COMPACT DISC

out of stock

$16.75

Return Policy

All sales are final

Shipping

No special shipping considerations available.
Shipping fees determined at checkout.