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Vincent Mario Pignatiello, II is a 2013 graduate of the PsyD Program in Clinical Psychology at Antioch University, New England

Keywords

meta-theory, theoretical paradigms, metaphor, psycholinguistics

Document Type

Dissertation

Publication Date

2013

Abstract

A clinician is entrusted with the difficult task of organizing, integrating, and formulating a vast amount of information provided by a patient in order to conduct therapy. Typically, a theoretical paradigm is employed in this endeavor. This paper constructs a theory of theoretical paradigms—a meta-theory—to understand better how clinicians organize and understand patient information. The theory of theory posits that theoretical paradigms function as complex metaphors developed within a culture. The argument presented here utilizes research from various areas of psychology—including those focusing on cognitive research, psycholinguistics, and philosophy of theory—to develop the meta-theory. The central thesis of this research is that theoretical paradigms function as metaphors, which were developed within a given historical-cultural context.

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