Process and Relational Ontology in Enactive Psychiatry
Outonomy: Fleshing out the Concept of Autonomy Beyond the Individual January 1, 2026 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1007/978-3-032-05501-9_8 via Springer Nature
Summary
Mental disorders are not simply brain disorders but emerge from dynamic interactions between an individual's embodied actions and their social environment. This enactive perspective views disorders as developmental sensorimotor trajectories shaped by ongoing embodied interactions and social contexts. The chapter emphasizes the interplay between personal autonomy and social surroundings in how mental disorders arise, drawing on processual and relational views of cognition.
Study at a glance
| Design | theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Mental disorders are best understood as developmental sensorimotor trajectories shaped by embodied interactions and social contexts, rather than as isolated brain disorders. |
Abstract
This chapter examines mental disorders from an enactive perspective. It explores two key ontological claims—the processual and relational nature of cognition—and their implications for our understanding of mental disorders. Rather than viewing them as isolated brain disorders, mental disorders are presented as developmental sensorimotor trajectories that are shaped by embodied interactions and social contexts. It highlights the dynamic interplay between an individual’s autonomy and their social environment in the emergence of mental disorders.