Methodological aspects of the mind-body problem in psychosomatics and psychotherapy

Journal/Book: Z Klin Psychol Psychiatr Psyc. 1996; 44: Postfach 2540, W-4790 Paderborn, Germany. Verlag Ferdinand Schoningh. 231-242.

Abstract: Adequate research strategies in Psychosomatics and psychotherapy require a variety of different epistemological approaches. This paper emphasizes to replace the dichotomy between nomological explanation of physical processes versus intentional understanding of psychological phenomena by a combination of the discrimination between psyche and soma and the discrimination between causal explanation and intentional understanding. As a result there are four categories of research: scientific research in biological objects, nomological research in psychological phenomena, ideographic and qualitative research in psychological phenomena, and holistic-systemic research in biological phenomena. The relationship of research results from one of these paradigms to results from another paradigm will be discussed at the end of the article.

Note: Article J Frommer, Univ Dusseldorf, Klin Psychosomat Med & Psychotherapie, Berg Landstr 2, D-40629 Dusseldorf, Germany

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