ABSTRACT
A textbook about a topic should begin with a clear defi nition of the topic. Unfortunately, for a textbook on psychopathology, this is a diffi cult if not impossible task. Th e defi nitions or conceptions of psychopathology and such related terms as mental disorder have been the subject of heated debate throughout the history of psychology and psychiatry, and the debate is far from over (e.g., Gorenstein, 1984; Horwitz, 2002; Widiger, 1997). Despite its many variations, this debate has centered on a single overriding question: Are psychopathology and related terms such as mental disorder and mental illness scientifi c terms that can be defi ned objectively and by scientifi c criteria, or are they social constructions (Gergen, 1985) that are defi ned entirely by societal and cultural values? It is important to address this issue in the opening chapter because the reader’s view of the rest of this book will be infl uenced by his or her view on this issue.
