Work

Unraveling Networks: The Conceptual Incoherence of the Network Approach

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: The network approach to psychopathology promises (personalized) visualizations of the structure of mental disorders, in turn allowing for prediction of disorder development and identification of intervention targets. In this paper, we argue that these goals are problematized by conceptual incoherence between the approach's two pillars: the network theory of mental disorders, and the suite of methods known as "network psychometrics." First, we argue that, if it is to be clinically informative, network psychometrics requires (1) an embedding argument to justify that a causally sufficient set of variables has been modeled, and (2) a concomitant argument supporting the assumption that the human-environment system is near-decomposable. Then, we show that current versions of the network theory of psychopathology raise severe obstacles for such arguments, if not outright blocking them. In turn, the network approach to psychopathology appears to unravel unless changes are made to its pillars.

Source: The Journal of Medicine and Philosophy A Forum for Bioethics and Philosophy of Medicine

DOI: 10.1093/jmp/jhaf037

Authors: Freek J W Oude Maatman, Markus I Eronen

Institutions: Radboud University Nijmegen, University of Groningen

Language: English

Topic: Mental Health Research Topics

Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,973