•  18
    The Real and the Good
    Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology 23 (1): 1-1. 2003.
    In this journal editorial, the author introduces the first debate to occur in the Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology during his tenure as editor. Three interlocutors take on Daniel N. Robinson in a debate that focuses upon Praise and Blame, Robinson's erudite and spirited defense of moral realism. Robinson replies to each response to his work. The exchange encompasses the question of the status of ethical concepts as well as that of ultimate nature of morality. When Professor Ro…Read more
  •  183
    Experimental Philosophy: A Methodological Critique
    Metaphilosophy 44 (1-2): 79-87. 2013.
    This article offers a critique of research practices typical of experimental philosophy. To that end, it presents a review of methodological issues that have proved crucial to the quality of research in the biobehavioral sciences. It discusses various shortcomings in the experimental philosophy literature related to (1) the credibility of self-report questionnaires, (2) the validity and reliability of measurement, (3) the adherence to appropriate procedures for sampling, random assignment, and h…Read more
  •  58
    On the Border: Reflections on the Meaning of Self-Injury in Borderline Personality Disorder
    Philosophy, Psychiatry, and Psychology 10 (1): 29-31. 2003.
    In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:Philosophy, Psychiatry, & Psychology 10.1 (2003) 29-31 [Access article in PDF] On the Border:Reflections on the Meaning of Self-Injury in Borderline Personality Disorder Robert L. Woolfolk Keywords borderline personality disorder, values, psychotherapy, diagnosis IT IS A PLEASURE to comment on Nancy Potter's elegantly written, provocative paper. Professor Potter raises important and intriguing issues that have not only clinical impli…Read more
  •  163
    Wakefield's (2000) responses to our paper herein (Murphy and Woolfolk 2000) are not only unsuccessful, they force him into a position that leaves him unable to preserve any distinction between disorders and other problems. They also conflate distinct scientific concepts of function. Further, Wakefield fails to show that ascriptions of human dysfunction do not ineliminably involve values. We suggest Wakefield is analyzing a concept that plays a role in commonsense thought and arguing that the tas…Read more
  •  100
    Malfunction and Mental Illness
    The Monist 82 (4): 658-670. 1999.
    For years a debate has raged within the various literatures of philosophy, psychiatry, and psychology over whether, and to what degree, the concepts that characterize psychopathology are social constructions that reflect cultural values. While the majority position among philosophers has been normativist, i.e., that the conception of a mental disorder is value-laden, a vocal and cogent minority have argued that psychopathology results from malfunctions that can be described by terminology that i…Read more
  •  57
    The power of negative thinking: Truth, melancholia, and the tragic sense of life
    Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology 22 (1): 19-27. 2002.
    In this brief essay the author argues that the contemporary "positive psychology" movement fails to emphasize important aspects of human existence that are essential to human excellence. Through an explication of some historical, cross-cultural, and literary examples, the author argues for the importance of a kind of "negative psychology" that is fundamental to an adequate comprehension of the human situation. 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
  •  63
    Count No One Happy: Eudaimonia and Positive Psychology
    with Rachel H. Wasserman
    Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology 25 (1): 81-90. 2005.
    Some aspects of "second-generation" Positive Psychology are analyzed and their origins explored. In particular, Seligman's importation of the concept of eudaimonia from Aristotelian ethics is critiqued and found to be problematic. This conclusion is reached through an examination of the concept of eudaimonia as it was employed in ancient philosophy. 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
  •  289
    The harmful dysfunction analysis of mental disorder
    Philosophy, Psychiatry, and Psychology 7 (4): 241-252. 2000.
    This paper is a critical analysis of the concept of mental disorder recently advanced by Jerome Wakefield. Wakefield suggests that mental disorders are most aptly conceived as "harmful dysfunctions" involving two distinct and separable components: the failure of the mechanism in the person to perform a natural function for which the mechanism was designed by natural selection, and a value judgment that the dysfunction is undesirable.
  •  11
    Virtue and Psychotherapy
    Philosophy, Psychiatry, and Psychology 19 (1): 41-43. 2012.
  •  10
    Written with a rare combination of multidisciplinary expertise and personal passion, "The Cure of Souls" is a sociocultural investigation into the role and impact of the practice of psychotherapy in the modern world. The author argues against the "medicalization" of the field in favor of a values-oriented understanding of psychotherapy's role in our culture.
  •  4
    The concept of mental illness: An analysis of four pivotal issues
    Journal of Mind and Behavior 22 (2): 161-178. 2001.
    The concept of mental illness is explored through an examination of four key foundational issues. These are the notion of the “mental” as it relates to psychopathology; the concept of illness; the relationship of mental illness to concepts of function and malfunction; and sociocultural dimensions of psychopathology. The problematic status of the concept of mental illness is investigated through locating it within the various discourses of biomedicine, psychology, law, and sociology and by explic…Read more
  •  37
    Hermeneutics and psychoanalysis
    Behavioral and Brain Sciences 9 (2): 265-266. 1986.
  •  39
    Empirical tests of philosophical intuitions
    Consciousness and Cognition 20 (2): 415-416. 2011.
    Experimental philosophy seeks to examine empirically various factual issues that, either explicitly or implicitly, lie at the foundations of philosophical positions. A study of this genre (Miller & Feltz, 2011) was critiqued. Questions about the study were raised and broader issues pertaining to the field of experimental philosophy were discussed
  •  73
    Recent policy debates in the US over access to mental health care have raised several philosophically complex ethical and conceptual issues. The defeat of mental health parity legislation in the US Congress has brought new urgency and relevance to theoretical and empirical investigations into the nature of mental illness and its relation to other forms of sickness and disability. Manifold, nebulous, and often competing conceptions of mental illness make the creation of coherent public policy exc…Read more
  •  48
    Identification, Situational Constraint, and Social Cognition: Studies in the Attribution of Moral Responsibility
    with John Doris and John Darley
    In Joshua Michael Knobe & Shaun Nichols (eds.), Experimental Philosophy, Oxford University Press. pp. 61. 2008.