Chapter 43: Communication as Paradigm for Psychopathology

Communication as Paradigm for Psychopathology establishes that mental disorders should be conceptualized not merely as isolated individual deficits, but as disturbances within dyadic, interpersonal interactions,. A critical distinction is drawn between the perception of "things," which are predictable and governed by physical laws, and "persons," who serve as unpredictable action centers with inner experiences, intentions, and the capacity for mutual gaze,. The text details the mechanics of the communicative loop—comprising the sender, recipient, and feedback—and emphasizes the axiom that one cannot not communicate, as all behavior in a social context carries meaning,. The author differentiates between digital (verbal) and analogical (nonverbal) communication, highlighting that nonverbal cues like eye gaze, posture, and joint attention account for the majority of communicative signaling and are essential for establishing intersubjectivity,. The discussion extends to clinical applications, contrasting Jaspers' empathic "understanding" with scientific "explaining," and using Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as a primary case study of "mindblindness" or a specific deficit in embodied, nonverbal processing despite potentially preserved verbal logic,. Finally, the chapter advocates for future research directions using "second-person neuroscience" and hyperscanning techniques, often employing virtual reality to study the neural correlates of social cognition during real-time, ongoing interactions rather than in detached observation,.