PHIL 389: Philosophy of Psychology and Psychiatry

Instructor: Jonathan Tsou

Iowa State University

Office: Catt Hall 429

Course Description:

This course examines the foundations of 20^th century psychology and psychiatry from a philosophy of science perspective. The first half of the course focuses on important figures (e.g., William James, Sigmund Freud, B. F. Skinner) and movements (e.g., structuralism, functionalism, psychoanalysis, behaviorism) in the history of 20^th century psychology with emphasis on the philosophical assumptions of these psychological paradigms. The course focuses on how these competing psychological systems aimed to make psychology a scientific discipline. The second half of the course focuses on philosophical issues as they arise in psychiatry and clinical psychology. Specific issues addressed in the include the problem of defining “mental illness” or “mental disorder,” criticisms of disease explanations of abnormal behavior, evolutionary explanations of abnormal behavior, cross-cultural issues, and problems in classifying different disorders. Students will read a variety of perspectives in philosophy of psychiatry including writings by Thomas Szasz, R.D. Laing, Christopher Boorse, Jerome Wakefield, Rachel Cooper, Carl Rogers, Ian Hacking, and Michel Foucault.

Texts:

• Reading Packet

Course Requirements:

Students will be expected to have read the weekly readings carefully and be prepared to discuss them critically in class. Evaluation for the course will be based the following criteria:

1) Participation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40%

2) Midterm Exam in week 6 . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25%

3) Final Paper (8-12 pages) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35%

Final papers can be on any approved topic relevant to materials covered in the course. Students are expected to do some independent research in writing their papers.

Course Schedule:

PART I: Paradigms in Psychology

1. Introduction: Paradigms in Psychology?

• Buss, A. R. (1978), “The Structure of Psychological Revolutions”

2. Paradigms in Psychology: William James

• James, W. (1890). “The Scope of Psychology”
• James, W. (1890). “The Stream of Thought”
• James, W. (1904). “Does Consciousness Exist?”

3. Paradigms in Psychology: James/ Sigmund Freud

• Flanagan, O. (1997). “Consciousness as a Pragmatist Views It” (recommended)
• Freud, S. (1929). Civilization and its Discontents, chs. 1-5.

4. Paradigms in Psychology: Freud/ B.F. Skinner

• Freud, S. (1929). Civilization and its Discontents, chs. 6-8.
• MacDonald, K. (1986). “Civilization and its Discontents Revisited” (recommended)

5. Paradigms in Psychology: Skinner

• Skinner, B. F. (1971). Beyond Freedom and Dignity, chs. 1-4.
• Skinner, B. F. (1971). Beyond Freedom and Dignity, chs. 8-9.

6. Paradigms in Psychology: Review and Midterm

• Chomsky, N. (1971). “The Case Against B. F. Skinner” (recommended)
• Review class

7. Midterm

• In-Class Midterm Exam

PART II: Philosophy of Psychiatry

7. Szasz and the Anti-Psychiatry Movement

• Szasz, T.S. (1960). “The Myth of Mental Illness.”

8. Anti-Psychiatry

• Laing, R.D. (1967). “The Schizophrenic Experience.”
• Scheff, T.J. (1963). “The Role of the Mentally Ill and the Dynamics of Disorder.”

9. Critics of Szasz: Disease Explanations of Abnormal Behavior

• Sedgwick, P. (1973). “Illness-Mental and Otherwise.”
• Boorse, C. (1976). “What a Theory of Mental Health Should Be.”

10. Contemporary Approaches to Psychopathology: Wakefield's Evolutionary Definition of “Mental Disorder”

• Wakefield, J.C. (1992). “The Concept of Mental Disorder: On the Boundary between Biological Facts and Social Values.”
• Lilienfeld, S. and Marino, L. (1995). “Mental Disorder as a Roschian Concept: A Critique of Wakefield's 'Harmful Dysfunction' Analysis.”
• Wakefield, J.C. (1999). “Evolutionary Versus Prototype Analyses of the Concept of Mental Disorder.” (recommended)

11. Cross-Cultural Issues

• Kleinman, A. (1988). “Do Psychiatric Disorders Differ in Different Cultures? The Methodological Questions & The Findings.”

12. The Role of Values in Clinical Psychology & Psychiatry

• Lowe, C.M. (1959), “Value-Orientations-An Ethical Dilemma.”
• Rogers, C. (1955), “Persons or Science? A Philosophical Question.”
• Rogers, C. and Skinner, B.F. (1956). “Some Issues Concerning the Control of Human Behavior: A Symposium.”

13. The Politics of Psychiatric Discourse

• Szasz, T.S. (1966). “Psychiatric Classification as a Strategy of Personal Constraint.”
• Breggin, P. (1975). “Psychiatry and Psychotherapy as a Political Process.”
• Riger, S. (1998). “Epistemological Debates, Feminist Voices: Science, Social Values, and the Study of Women.”

14. Michel Foucault on Psychiatry and Madness

• Foucault, M. (1969). “Candidacy Presentation to the College de France.” (recommended)
• Foucault, M. (1969). “Psychiatric Power.” (recommended)
• Foucault, M. (1969). “The Abnormals.” (recommended)
• Foucault, M. (1970). “Madness and Society.” (recommended)
• Gutting, G. (1994). “Foucault and the History of Madness.”

15. The Looping Effects of Psychiatric Classifications

• Hacking, I. (1999). “Madness: Biological or Constructed?”
• Cooper, R. (2004). “Why Hacking is Wrong about Natural Kinds.”
• Tsou, J. Y. (2007). “Hacking on the Looping Effects of Psychiatric Classifications.”

** FINAL PAPER DUE (Submit on Blackboard) **

Important Notes

Academic Integrity and Plagiarism: The value of this course depends on each student doing his or her own work. Academic dishonesty undermines individual learning and is unfair to all of the other students in class. Plagiarism or academic dishonesty of any form will not be tolerated and will lead to failure in the course. For information on what constitutes plagiarism and how to avoid it, see: http://instr.iastate.libguides.com/content.php?pid=10314

Classroom Conduct: During lectures, please turn off your phones, and do not send text messages, surf the internet, or check email. During classroom discussions, please be courteous and respectful towards your peers.

Disability: If you have a documented disability and anticipate requiring accommodations for this course, speak to me about this. Please request that a Disability Resources staff send a SAAR form verifying your disability and specifying the accommodation you will need. The Disability Resources (DR) office is located on the main floor of the Student Services Building, Room 1076 (515-294-7220).