Review by Choice Review
Brendel (Harvard Medical School) writes from the viewpoint of practice as well as theory. He distinguishes two approaches to clinical psychiatry: scientific and humanistic. An example of a scientific approach is one that emphasizes the neurophysiological bases of behavior in a patient. A humanistic approach, on the other hand, may emphasize the patient's self-understanding. Readers should note that these are only examples, and that many different possibilities fit under the general categories of scientific and humanistic. Brendel explores these through case studies and theoretical analyses. He cites clinical evidence to show that what is most beneficial to patients is a dialectical and interactive methodology that draws from both approaches and uses the methods and insights that can be found there. Each approach has its attractions, but the danger is that one may go too far in applying one rather than the other. Brendel uses the work of American pragmatists John Dewey, Charles Peirce, and William James to develop a dialectical or pragmatist methodology--one that embraces both the scientific and the humanistic nature of clinical psychiatry. ^BSumming Up: Recommended. All levels. S. Satris Clemson University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
