The following article presents the views of spiritual suffering expressed by a distinguished Polish psychiatrist and grand humanist, professor Antoni Kępiński (1918–1972). According to the author, spiritual suffering is a multi-faced problem which, for instance, may be linked to one’s fear of life failures or old age. Just as physical suffering, spiritual suffering does not have a monolithic character. A person suffering spiritually often loses his or her self-confidence, his or her faith in the world, the future, even in God. Suffering itself ought to be categorised as evil though in the Christian vision of the world it may also have the purifying, and even saving power. Professor Kępiński distinguishes between two types of metabolism – energetic and informational. The former, constituting the „core of life”, refers to the constant exchange between the organism and the environment. Informational metabolism, in turn, creates a sphere of symbols around the core of life which, in a way, becomes a spiritual sphere. The formation of spiritual suffering seems to be dependent to a larger extent on informational metabolism although, on the other hand, both metabolisms – informational and energetic – are mutually permeable.
The author of the article helps to understand the relation patient-doctor in the light of axiological psychiatry developed by Antoni Kępiński. Kępiński was not a typical doctor who, with great dedication and reverence, fulfilled his duties towards patients. First of all, he paid special attention to uniqueness and specificity of the level of contact between a doctor and a patient and pointed out its matey character. The article also introduces the sources of axiological psychiatry developed by Kępiński, which should be found in the philosophy of dialogue. In the light of works of Kraków psychiatrist one can notice that his philosophical anthropology was saturated with the influence of dialogue thought. According to Kępiński only a specific kind of emotional relationship based on empathy and trust could be the key to complete knowledge of the man fighting with mental illnesses.
Antoni Kępiński remains an often read and quoted author even 40 years after his premature death. Usually he is read in the context of his times and his connections with contemporary philosophy. This paper aims to show other aspects of his reflections on psychiatry. His views on the position of psychiatry within medicine, its methods, psychophysical problems, and other issues are compared with current knowledge and current thought paradigms. The goal is to show that while Kępiński was obviously functioning within a different scientific and philosophical paradigm many of his ideas and reflections can still be found within current debates. The important conclusion is to not hold on to the views that Kępiński held himself because he did not know as much as we do, but to see the importance of the debates that he foresaw even then and possibly learn something from his extensive clinical experience.
In her article, Anna Antoszewska discusses the phenomenon of the interpersonal encounter in the philosophical thought of professor Antoni Kępiński, the author of Psychopatie, among other books. She lays special emphasis on the sources of his philosophical insights. While there is no doubt as to the originality of these insights, getting acquainted with numerous interpretations of Kępiński’s philosophical thought makes a researcher aware of the difficulty of unambiguously identifying the position of this outstanding psychiatrist and founder of axiological psychiatry. Polish scholars interested in Kępiński’s views remain sensitive to the contradictions among the concepts he uses in his philosophical reflections.
PL
Celem pracy jest przedstawienie fenomenu spotkania w myśli filozoficznej profesora Antoniego Kępińskiego oraz ukazanie źródeł jego intuicji filozoficznych. Oryginalność idei autora Psychopatii nie ulega wątpliwości. Zapoznanie się z licznymi interpretacjami myśli filozoficznej Kępińskiego ujawnia trudność z jednoznacznym określeniem pozycji tego wybitnego psychiatry. Polscy autorzy zaciekawieni poglądami Kępińskiego pozostają wrażliwi na sprzeczności pojęć używanych przez twórcę psychiatrii aksjologicznej.
The author of the article helps to understand the relation patient-doctor in the light of axiological psychiatry developed by Antoni Kępiński. Kępiński was not a typical doctor who, with great dedication and reverence, fulfilled his duties towards patients. First of all, he paid special attention to the uniqueness and specificity of the level of contact between a doctor and a patient and pointed out its matey character. The article also introduces the sources of axiological psychiatry developed by Kępiński, which should be found in the philosophy of dialogue. In the light of the works of Kraków psychiatrist, one can notice that his philosophical anthropology was saturated with the influence of dialogue thought. According to Kępiński, only a specific kind of emotional relationship based on empathy and trust could be the key to complete knowledge of the man fighting with mental illnesses.
PL
The author of the article helps to understand the relation patient-doctor in the light of axiological psychiatry developed by Antoni Kępiński. Kępiński was not a typical doctor who, with great dedication and reverence, fulfilled his duties towards patients. First of all, he paid special attention to the uniqueness and specificity of the level of contact between a doctor and a patient and pointed out its matey character. The article also introduces the sources of axiological psychiatry developed by Kępiński, which should be found in the philosophy of dialogue. In the light of the works of Kraków psychiatrist one can notice that his philosophical anthropology was saturated with the influence of dialogue thought. According to Kępiński, only a specific kind of emotional relationship based on empathy and trust could be the key to complete knowledge of the man fighting with mental illnesses.
The aim of the article is to discuss the specifics of human actions and decision-making processes from the psychopathological perspective. The concepts of action and decision making are reported in the context of human experience and the experiential structure of self-determination. The starting point is provided by considerations related to the notion of mental illness as described by Lennart Nordenfelt, as well as Antoni Kępiński’s concept of informational metabolism. The consequences of and changes to decision-making processes in mental disorders will be presented on the example of depressive experience. Decision-making process can be understood in terms of three-dimensional pre-reflexive experience that undergoes changes in depressive patients: space of possibility, sense of agency and time experience. The analysis will allow us to better understand the structure of experience attributable to people suffering from depression.
This paper argues that in the case of mental illnesses whose somatic bases are not known or do not exist, a promising route to understand mental illness is to see it as the lack of a patient’s engagement with some moral values that are necessary for a good human life. The paper explains how the first-person perspective, which is constitutive for mental illnesses, makes it impossible to provide an adequate, third-person explanation of the pathological. Because of its irreducible first-personal nature, mental illness must be understood (also) in terms of a moral harm to the patient, and so an integration of ethics and psychiatry (at least at the level of practice) is required. This view is further illustrated with A. Kępiński’s idea of psychiatry as therapy with moral values.
Antoni Kępiński's work on the KZ syndrome has not been so far a subject of thorough scientific research. In this paper Kępiński's work is investigated regarding two aspects of this problematic. In addition to questions concerning the patient-doctor relationship in psychiatry, the article focuses on the possible extension of the subject area of psychiatry. Kępiński's work suggests important conclusions at this point. Many psychiatric disorders, but especially the symptom complex of the KZ syndrome, are not only the result of individual experiences but also the individual values and the individual view of the patient on his suffering. This requires a high ethical competence of the physician. In addition, the example of the KZ syndrome demonstrates the effects that social formation can have on the individual psyche. Psychiatry must therefore tackle questions that extend its existing subject area.
DE
Antoni Kępińskis Arbeiten zum KZ-Syndrom sind bis heute kaum Gegenstand wissenschaftlicher Untersuchungen. Im vorliegenden Beitrag werden Kępińskis Arbeiten hinsichtlich zweier Fragekomplexe untersucht. Neben Fragen zum Patient-Arzt-Verhältnis in der Psychiatrie steht eine Erweiterung des Gegenstandsbereiches der Psychiatrie im Fokus des Textes. Dabei legen Kępińskis Arbeiten wichtige Schlüsse nahe. Viele psychiatrische Erkrankungen, insbesondere aber der Symptomkomplex des KZ-Syndroms, sind nicht nur Folge individueller Erfahrungen, sondern durch die individuellen Wertevorstellungen und den individuellen Blick des Patienten auf sein Leiden geprägt. Im Zentrum einer psychiatrischen Behandlung muss daher die Selbstermächtigung des Patienten stehen, sich seiner eigenen Wertestrukturen wieder bedienen zu können. Dazu ist eine hohe ethische Kompetenz des Arztes notwendig. Zudem wird am Beispiel des KZ-Syndroms deutlich, welche Auswirkungen gesellschaftliche Formationen auf die individuelle Psyche haben können. Die Psychiatrie muss somit Fragen aufgreifen, die ihren bisherigen Gegenstandsbereich erweitern.
It is suggested to link Antoni Kępiński to the vicinity of the so-called Anthropological Psychiatry. This hypothesis is supported by his criticism of psychiatric objectivity, his personally committed style of psychotherapy and his assumption that mental sanity and illness is based on a constitutive value-based condition according to the model of information metabolism. This paper examines the most important criteria of his psychiatric work and research in contrast to Humanistic Psychology. The provisional conclusion that Kępiński and Anthropological Psychiatry are in accordance cannot be fully justified. However, with a broader concept of anthropological psychiatry it is possible to integrate Kępiński's views.
DE
Es scheint naheliegend zu sein, Antoni Kępiński im Umkreis der so genannten Anthropologischen Psychiatrie zu verorten. Dafür sprechen in erster Annäherung seine Kritik der psychiatrischen Objektivität, sein persönlich engagierter Psychotherapiestil, und seine Annahme der konstitutiven Wertebestimmtheit des psychisch gesunden und kranken Menschen entsprechend der Vorgabe seines Modells des Informationsmetabolismus. Der Beitrag benennt zentrale Kriterien dieser psychiatrischen Arbeits- und Forschungsrichtung in Abgrenzung zur Humanistischen Psychologie. Er kommt zum vorläufigen Schluss, dass eine Identifikation Kępińskis mit der Anthropologischen Psychiatrie nicht gerechtfertigt wäre. Hingegen ist ein allgemeines, weiter gefasstes Konzept von anthropologischer Psychiatrie in der Lage, Kępińskis wesentliche Positionen zwanglos zu integrieren.
Antoni Kępiński's long-term work with the former inmates of Auschwitz concentration camp has brought an extensive scientific material, characterized by a deep understanding and empathy with the patients. Much of this work involves the issue of suffering in concentration camps. Kępiński's personal experiences from the concentration camp made him aware of the problem of bearing trauma not only from the observing position of the scientist. His publications provide an analysis of both the wide range of human suffering in the concentration camps and the reactions of the prisoners to the camp reality.
DE
Die langjährige Arbeit Antoni Kępińskis mit ehemaligen Häftlingen des Konzentrationslagers Auschwitz hat auch zu einem umfangreichen wissenschaftlichen Material geführt, gekennzeichnet von tiefem Verständnis und Empathie gegenüber den untersuchten Patienten. Ein großer Teil dieser Arbeit umfasst das Thema des Leidens im Konzentrationslager. Kępińskis persönliche Erfahrungen aus dem Konzentrationslager ließen ihn das Problem des Lager-Traumas nicht nur von der beobachtenden Position des Wissenschaftlers sehen. In seinen Publikationen findet man eine Analyse sowohl des breiten Spektrums des menschlichen Leidens in den KZ-Lagern als auch der Reaktionen der Häftlinge auf die Lagerrealität.
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