Principles of Psychopathology: Two Worlds - Two Minds - Two Hemispheres / Edition 1

by John C. Cutting, J. Cutting

Overview

Psychopathology is the study of the signs and symptoms of psychiatric disorders: delusions, hallucinations, phobias, depression, for example. This book gives an account of the terms currently in use and attempts an in-depth analysis of the nature of each. The matter is examined both from a philosophical perspective and from the point of view of what is known about the function of the hemispheres of the brain.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780192622402
Publisher:	Oxford University Press, USA
Publication date:	01/28/1997
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	608
Product dimensions:	9.75(w) x 7.00(h) x 1.43(d)

Table of Contents

Introduction
1. The Methods.
Philosophy and Psychology
Psychopathology and Psychiatry
Neuropsychology and Neurology
2. The World.
Neuropsychology
Alternative Worlds
Summary and Conclusions
3. The Framework of the World - Space and Time.
Space
Time
Alternative Frameworks
Summary and Conclusions
4. The Body.
Philosophy
Psychopathology
Neuropsychology
5. The Self.
Philosophy
Psychopathology
Neuropsychology
6. The Mind.
Philosophy
Psychopathology
Neuropsychology
7. The Will (emotion, action).
Philosophy
Psychopathology
Neuropsychology
8. The Language.
Philosophy
Psychopathology
Neuropsychology
9. Individual Differences.
Sex, Age, IQ, Handedness, Culture, etc
Summary and Conclusions

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Joseph Fink, PhD (Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine)
Description: This book is an ambitious attempt to elucidate and integrate the philosophical and neuropsychological underpinnings of psychopathology theory. The endeavor is richly suffused with the philosophical perspectives of Kant, Schopenhauer, and Bergson, a neuropsychological perspective informed by dual hemisphere theory, and Dr. Cutting's own grasp of the history of psychopathology theory.
Purpose: The author aims in part to deliver a "comprehensive reference book on psychopathology," but also seeks to explicate the theoretical assumptions that undergird psychopathology. Eclectic, and at times encyclopedic in its wide-ranging attempts to integrate philosophy and neuropsychology, the book lacks somewhat in cogency. The copious detail provided by the text comes at the expense of tightly argued and organized principles that would make the work more accessible to a wide range of readers.
Audience: Whereas the book will likely appeal to advanced clinicians and theoreticians interested in the philosophical structure of psychopathology theory, it would seem to be less approachable for clinicians engaged in daily clinical work. As such, its objective to be a "comprehensive reference book on psychopathology" will be best met for academicians rather than clinicians or beginning students.
Features: The table of contents, index, and references are all quite good. Many of the tables embedded in the text, however, tend to be overly detailed for a work aimed at drawing out general principles.
Assessment: This scholarly work is rich in detail, ambitious in scope and purpose, and laudable for its attempts to integrate multiple perspectives. Although it is unlikely to serve well as a comprehensive reference on psychopathology for clinicians, it is a welcome and learned project of integration for those interested in the philosophical, historical, and scientific assumptions that underlie our evolving models of psychopathology.

Doody's Review Service