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The Abduction of Disorder in Psychiatry

Richters, John E. and Hinshaw, Stephen P. (1999) The Abduction of Disorder in Psychiatry. [Journal (Paginated)]

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Abstract

The evolutionary cornerstone of J. C. Wakefield's (1999) harmful dysfunction thesis is a faulty assumption of comparability between mental and biological processes that overlooks the unique plasticity and openness of the brain?s functioning design. This omission leads Wakefield to an idealized concept of natural mental functions, illusory interpretations of mental disorders as harmful dysfunctions, and exaggerated claims for the validity of his explanatory and stipulative proposals. The authors argue that there are numerous ways in which evolutionarily intact mental and psychological processes, combined with striking discontinuities within and between evolutionary and contemporary social/cultural environments, may cause non-dysfunction variants of many widely accepted major mental disorders. These examples undermine many of Wakefield's arguments for adopting a harmful dysfunction concept of mental disorder.

Item Type:Journal (Paginated)
Keywords:Mental Disorder, Evolutionary Psychology, Psychopathology, Classification, Taxonomy, Dysfunction, DSM
Subjects:Psychology > Clinical Psychology
ID Code:1026
Deposited By:Richters, John
Deposited On:16 Oct 2000
Last Modified:12 Sep 2007 17:36

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