The importance of the detail complexity (symptoms) and dynamic complexity (emotional flexibility) for the description, diagnosis and therapy of mental disorders (shown by the example of phobic and schizoid personality disorders)

Abstract

A healthy mind has a very large repertoire of regulative structures and functions, patterns of action and behaviour at its disposal, all of which have a reciprocal and interactive relationship with one another and secure the equilibrium of the organism in the relationship with the environment; these include, for example, motivational, drive, emotional, thinking, value, behavioural and/or relationship patterns and structures. A healthy brain is equipped with a corresponding structural and functional potential of neurons, neuronal circuits and neuronal networks. The abundance of regulative and mental structures and functions, active and “activate-able” neuronal networks guarantee healthy development. In contrast, a lack of regulative mental or psychological structures and the inability to activate the corresponding neurons, neuronal circuits and networks impairs the correlation between the organism and environment and causes developmental and mental disorders. Owing to the abundance of regulative mental structures and functions it is (from the perspective of non-linear systems and neuropsychoanalysis) necessary for the description, diagnosis and therapy of developmental and mental disorders to connect detail-complexity (symptoms) with dynamic-complexity (on the basis of emotional flexibility).