Helfen die Neurowissenschaften, besser zu „verstehen“? „Erklären“ und „Verstehen“ in der Psychotherapie.

Science-oriented psychotherapy researchers in particular like to stress that neuroscientific “explanations” are able to contribute to “understanding” mental disorders. In these statements the classical epistemological distinction between “explanation” and “understanding” is, however, not appropriately considered. This could lead to a flattening of the concept of understanding and ultimately undermine the demand of interpersonal communication in psychotherapy. Nevertheless, explanatory approaches to therapy can be valuable and may even play a beneficial role with regard to understanding—but only if they are correctly located epistemologically and used in the interest of the emancipation of the patient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]