title: [Research in psychiatry. Choice of indices or choice of subjects for study? Viewpoint of a researcher in psychology].
abstract: Traditionally the enormous diversity in the available empirical psychological indicators has set the trend for their classification. Convenient as they may be, they are seldom satisfying, sometimes inaccurate and usually loaded with evaluative connotations. The idea of "behavioral' versus "non behavioral indicants', which is the topic of our present meeting gives one more example of such arbitrary divisions. The new research strategy proposed here emphasizes the complementary nature of the indices and the necessity of conceptualizing the interrelationships of empirical data in more dimensional ways such as their 'common sense' clarity (transparence) or their polysemic properties. But the classification of indicators, which ever they may be, cannot be of any help in selecting meaningful research problems. With regard to the problem of diagnosis, multiplying indicators often lead to non convergent results and transparent indexes reflect in most cases a "common sense' psychopathology. Therefore, instead of persisting in asking: "with what can we classify patients and diseases?', with the hope to establish universal descriptive categories, we should move to the question of; "How do we classify?'. In this new research strategy several levels of approach can be suggested, among which: - to render explicit the points of view used by psychiatrists to make their diagnosis i.e. to study the content of implicit theories, - to compare systems of classifications (not the classification itself) by using intercultural approaches, - to confront the processes of categorization used in the classification of "natural objects' with those of psychiatric classification, in order to point out differences and similarities. These three directions axes enable to set new ways of cooperation between research workers in psychology and psychiatry.
mesh_terms: D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000145:classification* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D011581:Psychological Tests; D012106:Research
vernacular_title: Recherche en psychiatrie. Choix des indices ou choix des objets d'étude? Le point de vue d'un chercheur en psychologie.