Verkörperte Kommunikation – eine theoretische Grundlage für Psychotherapie
-
Wolfgang Tschacher
Abstract
According to the philosophy of science, the development of scientific fields may be described using a series of paradigms, i.e., theoretical frameworks that shape the (often tacit) assumptions of researchers and practitioners in that field. In the academic psychology of the past century, two paradigms have been especially influential: behaviorism (1920-1960) and cognitivism (1960s to the present). Behaviorism is the program of reducing psychological processes to behavioral processes, which are objectively observable in principle. Cognitivism has abandoned this strict anti-mentalistic stance by accepting mental processes; the mind is conceptualized by the representation and processing of information closely akin to the „physical symbol systems hypothesis“ of artificial intelligence. This cognitivist paradigm has increasingly come under criticism, however, because it neglects emotions and, especially, the bodily basis of mental functioning. The novel framework of embodied cognition departs from the ‘computer metaphor’ of mind, and additionally suggests that social interaction is less an exchange of informational messages than a self-organizing process within a complex system. The resonance of interacting individuals - in their embodied communication - can be studied empirically by nonverbal and physiological synchrony. The embodiment approach may be based on dynamic systems theory and synergetics, where synchronization phenomena are pivotal. The implications of this paradigmatic shift are discussed for psychotherapy. In the article, I propose that the common factors of therapeutic effectiveness must be complemented by including embodied factors as well. The resulting anthropology acknowledges the duality of mind and body, suggesting they are complementary aspects of psychotherapy and psychology in general.
Abstract
According to the philosophy of science, the development of scientific fields may be described using a series of paradigms, i.e., theoretical frameworks that shape the (often tacit) assumptions of researchers and practitioners in that field. In the academic psychology of the past century, two paradigms have been especially influential: behaviorism (1920-1960) and cognitivism (1960s to the present). Behaviorism is the program of reducing psychological processes to behavioral processes, which are objectively observable in principle. Cognitivism has abandoned this strict anti-mentalistic stance by accepting mental processes; the mind is conceptualized by the representation and processing of information closely akin to the „physical symbol systems hypothesis“ of artificial intelligence. This cognitivist paradigm has increasingly come under criticism, however, because it neglects emotions and, especially, the bodily basis of mental functioning. The novel framework of embodied cognition departs from the ‘computer metaphor’ of mind, and additionally suggests that social interaction is less an exchange of informational messages than a self-organizing process within a complex system. The resonance of interacting individuals - in their embodied communication - can be studied empirically by nonverbal and physiological synchrony. The embodiment approach may be based on dynamic systems theory and synergetics, where synchronization phenomena are pivotal. The implications of this paradigmatic shift are discussed for psychotherapy. In the article, I propose that the common factors of therapeutic effectiveness must be complemented by including embodied factors as well. The resulting anthropology acknowledges the duality of mind and body, suggesting they are complementary aspects of psychotherapy and psychology in general.
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Vorwort V
- Inhalt VII
- Einleitung 1
-
1. Entwicklung – Sprache – Denken
- Frühkindliches Lernen in sozialen Interaktionen 33
- Verkörpertes Wissen – verkörpertes Gedächtnis 57
- Direkte Wahrnehmung, Expressivität und Imitation 79
- Leib und Leiblichkeit bei Gadamer 119
-
2. Die Einheit von Wahrnehmung und Bewegung
- Wie viel Intelligenz steckt in der Mechanik unseres Körpers? 137
- Die Einheit von Wahrnehmen und Bewegen bei Viktor von Weizsäcker 161
- Alterität, Experiment, Inkarnation 191
-
3. Evolution und Menschheitsentwicklung
- Menschwerdung, Verkörperung und Empathie 211
- Die Entstehung einer Figurine? 251
- Mitgeteilte und parasitäre Emergenz 281
- Auf der Grenze 313
-
4. Verkörperung und Anthropologie
- Inkarnierte Geschöpfe 337
- Verkörperte Kommunikation – eine theoretische Grundlage für Psychotherapie 369
- Die Relevanz des Biologischen 387
- Kann man „schreckliche menschliche Leidenschaften“ sehen? 399
- Sachindex 423
- Namensindex 429
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Vorwort V
- Inhalt VII
- Einleitung 1
-
1. Entwicklung – Sprache – Denken
- Frühkindliches Lernen in sozialen Interaktionen 33
- Verkörpertes Wissen – verkörpertes Gedächtnis 57
- Direkte Wahrnehmung, Expressivität und Imitation 79
- Leib und Leiblichkeit bei Gadamer 119
-
2. Die Einheit von Wahrnehmung und Bewegung
- Wie viel Intelligenz steckt in der Mechanik unseres Körpers? 137
- Die Einheit von Wahrnehmen und Bewegen bei Viktor von Weizsäcker 161
- Alterität, Experiment, Inkarnation 191
-
3. Evolution und Menschheitsentwicklung
- Menschwerdung, Verkörperung und Empathie 211
- Die Entstehung einer Figurine? 251
- Mitgeteilte und parasitäre Emergenz 281
- Auf der Grenze 313
-
4. Verkörperung und Anthropologie
- Inkarnierte Geschöpfe 337
- Verkörperte Kommunikation – eine theoretische Grundlage für Psychotherapie 369
- Die Relevanz des Biologischen 387
- Kann man „schreckliche menschliche Leidenschaften“ sehen? 399
- Sachindex 423
- Namensindex 429
