Subjectivity, Intersubjectivity, and Psychological Functioning

Person-centered psychiatry (PCP) has to consider both the intrasubjective and the intersubjective aspects of clinical situations whenever a person suffers from psychopathological disorders. These considerations are required not only when these disorders are due to failure in the developmental process but also when they result from any other determinant because, they contribute to the person’s quality of life and healing process. To understand and assess psychopathology one should take into account three psychological dimensions: phenomenological, structural, and metaphoric (symbolic), which involve as well the patient’s environment and family. Person-centered psychiatry (PCP) should not be reduced to individualization of care or to respect for patients’ rights, as it aspires to something more: the recognition of the individual subjectivity of the whole person of the patient beyond what characterizes his or her illness or the status of a patient. Subjectivity and intersubjectivity are bricks of the therapeutic relationship, i.e., interactive construction professionals should build with the patient and for him or her, involving all those who are contributing to their health care and health status. Teamwork and peer supervision are crucial to enhance and sustain this interactive process.