QUESTION 1:

 

Dear Professor von Glasersfeld,

 

My Name Is Dvir, and I'm a 3 Year Psychology Student from Israel.

What Would Be Your Definition of 'Psychopathology'?

Would You Define it as 'Normative Adaptation to an Abnormal

Surroundings (meaning Family)'?

 

Thank You and Best Regards

 

 

ANSWER 1:

Dear Mr. Dvir,

 

As far as I can see, psychopathology is a collective term for emotional

reactions that are damaging to the person herself or others.

Psychotherapy, in contrast to behavior modification, tries to diffuse the

causes of the undesirable reactions.

 

My constructivist model concerns cognition, that is the rational part of

the mind. Consequently it can enter into psychotherapy as a means only to

demonstrate to a person the non-viability of her ideas. This does not

necessarily sever the their links to undesirable emotions; I think, this

is what Freud aptly called "die Klebrigkeit der Libido", the stickiness

of libido.

Best wishes,

Ernst von Glasersfeld
 

BACK | TORNA INDIETRO