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Original scientific paper

https://doi.org/10.21464/sp36105

A Relational Theory of Mental Illness – Lacking Identity and Solidarity with Others

Thaddeus Metz orcid id orcid.org/0000-0001-9861-2408 ; University of Pretoria, Department of Philosophy 20–10, Humanities Building, Private Bag X20, Hatfield, ZA–0028 Pretoria


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Abstract

In this paper, I aim to progress towards the philosophical goal of ascertaining what, if anything, all mental illnesses have in common, attempting to unify a large sub-set of those with a relational or interpersonal dimension. One major claim is that, if we want a promising theory of mental illness, we must go beyond the dominant western accounts of mental illness/health, which focus on traits intrinsic to a person such as pain/pleasure, lethargy/ liveliness, fragmentation/integration, and falsehood/authenticity. A second major claim is that the relational facets of mental illness are plausibly understood theoretically in terms of a person’s inability to identify with others or exhibit solidarity with them, relational values salient in the African philosophical tradition. I show that these two extrinsic properties explain several intuitive instances of mental illness well, including, amongst several others, being abusive, psychopathic, narcissistic, histrionic, paranoid, and phobic.

Keywords

intrinsic; extrinsic; mental health; mental illness; neurosis; philosophy of psychology; relational disorders; relational values

Hrčak ID:

257909

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/257909

Publication date:

8.6.2021.

Article data in other languages: croatian german french

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