Mind Body Debate In Psychology

The mind-body debate in philosophy and psychology goes back thousands of years to the times of Aristotle and Plato. Are there purely physical explanations for human behavior or do psychological factors, such as “anxiety, fear, and unconscious motivation[s]” (Hergenhahn & Henley, 2014, p. 481) also influence human behavior? The modern endeavor to understand the causes of mental illness, whether biological or psychological, typifies the debate. The discussion even takes a modern twist through the perspective of Thomas Szasz (1920-2012). Szasz (1960) argues that mental illness is a myth and unless physiological causes can be determined, should not be labeled as illnesses at all.
According to Hergenhahn and Henley (2014), mental illness consists

113), or problems of thinking and behavior. Difficulties in living often reflect “a social, political, or moral judgment, not a medical one” (Hergenhahn & Henley, 2014, p. 481). If a physical injury, disease, or neurophysiological problems cause dysfunction in the brain, medical procedures should be sought to treat it. If the problem is “psychosocial [or] ethical” (Szasz, 1960, p. 114), calling it a mental illness is misleading and treating it through medical intervention is “logically absurd” (Szasz, p. 115). Physical ailments, according to Szasz, should be treated medically, whereas problems in problems in living should be handled

As a metaphor, regarding a condition as “mental illness” can avoid the judgment and condemnation often associated with behavioral problems. Social disapproval often prevents individuals from seeking help and can lead to uncompassionate and even inhumane treatment (Hergenhahn & Henley, 2014, pp. 473-476). Taken literally, however, the label of mental illness can assuage personal responsibility for behavior and even create self-fulfilling prophesies, causing greater harm than healing. To treat people compassionately, one does not need to mislabel them as mentally ill.
Personally, I am sympathetic toward Szasz’s basic argument. I see similar confusion regarding an individual’s personality type, which is often viewed as synonymous with identity. Personality is simply a description of how people express themselves; it is not who they are. Similarly, defining “abnormal psychology” is not defining someone’s identity, it is merely describing a problem of living, which may be physiologically or psychologically based. Using accurate terminology will aid in offering understanding to individuals and with providing appropriate treatment to those currently labeled as mentally