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The Task of Explanation (and the Beginnings of Treatment)

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Embodied, Embedded, and Enactive Psychopathology

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Abstract

This chapter explores implications of 3e Psychopathology for the task of explanation. Some general comments about explanation itself are made, before exploring implications at both a research level, and at an individual/clinical level. The section on ‘explanation for researchers’ prescribes explanatory and methodological pluralism, before assessing some different ways that attempts at explanation are targeted. The Relational Analysis of Phenomena (the RAP) is then summarized as one way to develop explanatory theory in a way congruent with 3e Psychopathology. The section on ‘explanation for clinicians’ explores the role of individually tailored explanations (i.e., ‘formulations’) in clinical practice. A rough methodological taxonomy of the ways in which approaches to formulation differ is presented. It is then explored how a 3e Psychopathology orientation would influence each factor in this taxonomy. Some 3e Psychopathology inspired clinical tools are presented.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    This last example is inspired by Krueger and Colombetti (2018).

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  1. Te Kura Mātai Hinengaro - School of Psychology, Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand

    Kristopher Nielsen

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Nielsen, K. (2023). The Task of Explanation (and the Beginnings of Treatment). In: Embodied, Embedded, and Enactive Psychopathology. Palgrave Studies in the Theory and History of Psychology. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-29164-7_6

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