title: Persons and organisms.
abstract: The philosophical quest for unity leads to the desire for a clear and adequate conception of human reality as a "mind-body unity." This quest for unity has led both to conceptions of considerable heuristic value and to overly reductionistic approaches that impoverish our full relation to reality. Three basic themes are developed in this essay: 1. That on an ontological level dualistic and monistic approaches to mind-body remain equally plausible. 2. That on a practical level, epistemological considerations require us to retain a dualistic approach suggested by the terms "person" and "organism." 3. That psychotherapy (whether religious or secular) must ground itself in the notion of "person." Differences between the concepts of "person" and "organism" are delineated on six specific points. Finally, it is suggested that a holistic approach to health requires both constructs.
authors.affiliation: Community Health and Counseling Center, Lincoln, Maine.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hunter