Bridging Science and Testimony: The Multitudinous Self Model for Humanist Psychiatry

Bridging Science and Testimony: The Multitudinous Self Model for a Humanist Psychiatry

A central aim of psychiatry is to identify the properties of mental disorders to enable diagnosis and treatment. As a branch of both science and medicine, psychiatry draws on a variety of research practices to glean information about these properties, e.g., clinical drug trials, case studies. Recent work in philosophy of psychiatry has also drawn attention to the epistemic value of including first-person reports of individuals with mental disorders in investigating the properties of mental disorders and designing effective interventions. However, precisely how these standpoints will be reconciled with scientific and clinical perspectives remains underexplored. In this talk I present a model of the self (Multitudinous Self Model) that showcases how first-person reports can be integrated into research and clinical treatment in psychiatry. Engaging with the Multitudinous Self Model will also open doors for redefining and reimagining what kind of science psychiatry is and should be.

About the speaker

Dr. Şerife Tekin is an Associate Professor at the Center for Bioethics and Humanities, at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, NY. Her work in philosophy of psychiatry takes place at the cusp of philosophy of science, philosophy of mind and bioethics. She wrote on topics spanning the place for the self in science, the role of patient narratives in psychiatric research and mental healthcare, ethical issues arising in medical applications of artificial intelligence, and the value of medical humanities education for health professionals. Her new book Reclaiming the Self in Psychiatry: Centering Personal Narratives for a Humanist Science(Routledge) is out in April 2025.

This event is hosted by Durham University's Institute for Medical Humanities, led by Angela Woods.

This event is free to attend.

Zoom details will be circulated closer to the event.