Embodiment, Intersubjectivity and Psychopathology
International Conference, University of Heidelberg 30 Sept.-2 Oct. 2010
Website, program and early registration (before 15th of August):
www.eip-conference2010.unitt.de
During the last decade, the concept of embodiment has become a key paradigm of interdisciplinary approaches from the areas of philosophy, psychology, psychiatry and neuroscience. The body is no longer merely considered as an interesting input for the brain or mind. The new trend is to link embodiment, cognition and emotion in a deeper way, and this has particular repercussions for understanding our social engagements. This in turn has implications for psychopathology and psychotherapy, because embodied and intersubjective views on mental illness can offer new insights useful for diagnosis and remediation.
The conference is aimed at creating an interdisciplinary forum for the exchange of ideas on the themes of embodiment, intersubjectivity and their role in psychopathology. It brings together worldwide experts from the fields of developmental psychology, philosophy, and psychopathology, in order to advance on some key questions for this research area, among them:
* What is embodied intersubjectivity? In how far is our relationships with others mediated by the body?
* What is the role that embodied intersubjectivity plays for the development of social cognition?
* How can mental illness be conceived from an embodied and enactive point of view?
* What is the use of the notion of embodiment for therapy and training?
The conference is also intended to inaugurate the recently established Karl-Jaspers-Chair for Philosophical Foundations of Psychiatry at the University of Heidelberg.
Main Speakers:
Ezequiel Di Paolo, Matthew Ratcliffe, Beata Stawarska, Dan Zahavi (Philosophy)
Peter and Jessica Hobson, Vasudevi Reddy, Colwyn Trevarthen, Ed Tronick (Developmental Psychology)
Jonathan Cole, George Downing, Giovanni Stanghellini (Neurology, Psychology, Psychiatry)
The conference is conceived as an event that is more-than-usually intersubjective in its organisation. Apart from the keynote presentations delivered by experts, we have dedicated about half the time to specialised workshops. This will allow all participants to actively engage with and discuss the topics of the main talks.
We are looking forward to an interesting exchange of views on one of the key questions of current research.
Contact: eip-conference2010(at)uni-heidelberg.de
Further information: www.eip-conference2010.unitt.de
Venue: Old Lecture Hall, University of Heidelberg