Book Description

Psychopathology: An Empathic Representational Approach retraces the foundations of classical phenomenological psychopathology and integrates them with modern ideas drawn from anthropology, cognitive neuroscience, computational science, and evolutionary biology to synthesize a comprehensive framework and provide fresh insights. This book explores how the scientific concepts of ‘information and representation’ can be used to understand subjective mental phenomena and integrate them in empathic clinical dialogues during interactions with patients. It explores key issues in clinical psychopathology coherently and systematically, illustrates advanced topics in an accessible manner using clinical case examples, metaphors and clarifying diagrams, and directly links advanced conceptual frameworks with pragmatic skills in the clinical dialogue process. This volume is aimed at a broad audience of mental health professionals, researchers, and students in psychiatry, psychology, and social work. Its interdisciplinary treatment of the subject will also interest biologists, anthropologists, cognitive psychologists, neuroscientists, and philosophers. ‘In this tour de force, Eric Chen integrates philosophical perspectives with current themes in brain sciences to explain how we experience our environments, ourselves, and each other. An exhilarating framework for modern psychopathological inquiry, this is a must-read for anyone curious about the mind and how it can go awry.’ —Peter B. Jones, Professor of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge ‘Eric Chen has created a work that conceptually connects psychopathology to relevant disciplines in biology, evolution, cognition, linguistics, clinical psychiatry, and computational/information domains. It will certainly encourage in-depth reflections and stimulate research in clinical psychopathology.’ —Peter Falkai, Chair of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Munich ‘In the face of social, cultural, and biological changes, psychopathology needs periodic revision. Professor Chen addresses the complexities of this unique task with an original and scholarly approach that will stimulate both clinicians and researchers.’ —Ivana S. Marková, Professor of Psychiatry, University of Hull