«The soul … is a wide landscape».Thoughts on the special position of psychotherapy

Authors

  • Bernd Rieken
  • Omar Carlo Gioacchino Gelo

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30820/1664-9583-2020-1-11

Keywords:

Nomothetic und idiographic understanding of science, realism, constructivism, perspectivism, dialogical pluralism

Abstract

We provide arguments for the special position of psychotherapy as an independent discipline lying between the nomothetic and idiographic understanding of science. First we outline the standard mechanistic view of science and its justification, which is mainly characterized by the causal relationship of cause and effect, founded on systematic observation and experiment, and defined by striving for realism, objectivism, naturalism, and universalism. This is contrasted by the idiographic view of science which focuses on the individual case and its special nature, but at the same time asks about the possibility of generalization. It is characterized by relativism, subjectivism/transactionalism, constructivism, but also perspectivism, which only plays a subordinate role in scientific discourse, even though it takes up a mediating position. In addition to effective causes, this view also applies final causes, holism, and analogous rationality types. We view the nomothetic and idiographic understanding of science as equally legitimate and thus plead for a dialogical pluralism.

Author Biographies

Bernd Rieken

Bernd Rieken, Univ.-Prof. Mag. Dr. Dr., ist Psychotherapeut, Lehranalytiker und Professor für Psychotherapiewissenschaft an der Sigmund Freud PrivatUniversität Wien und Privatdozent für Europäische Ethnologie an der Universität Wien. Seine Forschungsschwerpunkte sind Katastrophenforschung, Erzählforschung und Grundlagen der Psychotherapiewissenschaft.

Omar Carlo Gioacchino Gelo

Omar Carlo Gioacchino Gelo, Univ.-Prof. Dr., ist Professor für dynamische Psychologie und Studiengangsleiter an der Universität Salento (Italien). Seine Forschungsschwerpunkte sind unter anderem Epistemologie und Methodologie der Psychotherapie und der Psychotherapieforschung.

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Published

2020-04-18

How to Cite

Rieken, B., & Gelo, O. C. G. (2020). «The soul … is a wide landscape».Thoughts on the special position of psychotherapy. Psychotherapie-Wissenschaft, 10(1), 11–16. https://doi.org/10.30820/1664-9583-2020-1-11

Issue

No. 1 (2020): Philosophie und Psychotherapie

Section

Titelthema: Philosophie und Psychotherapie

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