Making a case for constructive reductionism

Christian P. Müller

doi:10.1017/S0140525X18001085

Making a case for constructive reductionism

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 06 March 2019

Christian P. Müller

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Christian P. Müller*: Affiliation:
Section of Addiction Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Friedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, 91054 Erlangen, Germany. christian.mueller@uk-erlangen.dehttp://www.psychiatrie.uk-erlangen.de/wir_ueber_uns/mitarbeiter/prof_dr_rer_nat_christian_p_mueller/index_ger.html

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Abstract

Borsboom and colleagues argue that reductionism in psychopathology research has not provided the expected insights. Instead, they suggest a systems approach of interacting syndromes, which, however, falls short of a perspective for empirical testing. Here, a combination of both approaches is suggested: a reductionistic empirical approach allowing testability, synergistic with a constructivistic systems appraisal of syndrome networks – a constructive reductionism.

Type: Open Peer Commentary
Information: Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 42 , 2019 , e16

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X18001085 [Opens in a new window]
Copyright: Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2019

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