Rationality and Compulsion: Applying Action Theory to Psychiatry

Rationality and Compulsion presents a unique examination of mental illness - derived from philosophical action theory. Delusion is common to many mental disorders, resulting in actions that, though perhaps rational to the individual, might seem entirely inappropriate or harmful to others. So what is it that causes these actions, and why do they continue? The theory expounded in this book shows how the key to this problem might be compulsion.

This book presents a new analysis of the notion of compulsion - developed from action theory. The books starts with an introduction to action theory (for the benefit of non-philosophers). It then shows how insights from action theory can help us better understand mental illness, before developing an analysis of compulsion that emphasizes the element of unavoidability. The book argues that what is fundamentally disturbing to the person suffering from delusion is not so much the fact that the disorder tends to lead to irrational actions but rather the fact that he or she is unable to avoid performing these actions. The individual is or feels compelled to act in the way he or she does. The book contains some concrete illustrations of this idea as applied to several psychiatric diagnoses, such as paranoia, phobia, and psychopathy.

Rationality and Compulsion is a highly original new work from a leading figure in the philosophy and psychiatry movement. It will advance our understanding of mental illness, and be valuable for psychiatrists, psychologists, as well as philosophers.

Nordenfelt has published several books in action theory and the theory of health and welfare. These monographs include Events, Actions and ordinary Language (1977), Causes of death (1983), On Crime, Punishment and Psychiatric Care (1992), Quality of Life, Health and Happiness (1993), On the Nature of Health (1995), Talking about Health: A Philosophical Dialogue (1997), Action, Ability and Health (2000), Health, Science and Ordinary Language (2001) and Animal and Human health and Welfare: A Philosophical Comparison (2006). He is on the editorial board of several journals, including The Journal of Medicine and Philosophy; Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics; Health Care Analysis; Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy; and Philosophy, Psychiatry and Psychology. Nordenfelt was a research fellow at the University of Western Ontario, London, Canada, in 1976, and the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities, at Edinburgh University, Scotland, in 1989. He was Visiting Professor at the University of Warwick, England, in 1998-1999. He is at present research fellow at the Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study in the Social Sciences in Uppsala, Sweden. Nordenfelt was the President of the European Society for the Philosophy of Medicine and Health Care between 2001 and 2004 and was a member of the Board of Linköping University between 1994 and 2000.