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Person-Centered Psychiatry as Dialogical Psychiatry: The Significance of the Therapeutic Stance
Author(s) -
Laura Galbusera,
Thomas Fuchs,
Rainer Matthias HolmHadulla,
Samuel Thoma
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
psychopathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.867
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1423-033X
pISSN - 0254-4962
DOI - 10.1159/000519501
Subject(s) - dialogical self , personhood , psychology , psychotherapist , focus (optics) , expression (computer science) , interpersonal communication , epistemology , psychoanalysis , social psychology , philosophy , physics , computer science , optics , programming language
In this article, we present holistic and person-centered perspectives in psychiatry, with the aim of better understanding what a focus on personhood might really mean and what clinical implications it might have. We first introduce classical and philosophical concepts of personhood, in order to then outline person-centered approaches in psychiatry, which mainly focus on the person of the patient. We then argue that, for it to really be person-centered, psychiatry must necessarily also focus on the person of professionals. We thus explore the notion of stance, as the expression of the therapist’s personhood. By unpacking the effects that a professional’s stance can have on patients, we finally turn to a consideration of the interpersonal sphere. More specifically, we propose clinical considerations on a therapeutic stance that strives to support and to help the person of the patient unfold. Such a stance must – we argue – necessarily be a dialogical one. Drawing on these considerations, we thus claim that a truly person-centered approach in psychiatry must necessarily and automatically be interperson-centered and dialogical. In the concluding remarks, we finally discuss broader societal implications and outline future research perspectives.

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