Enacting Order.

In The Self and Its Disorders, Shaun Gallagher discusses the so-called pattern theory of self. It describes the self as an amalgam of processes, ranging from embodied, experiential to social. Gallagher outlines such a self-pattern as foundational for a non-reductionistic account of the self. He demonstrates the dynamics of the self by drawing on a large body of philosophical and empirical literature. The view of the self put forward by Gallagher mirrors constructivist views of selfhood (the self), which emphasize its active construction through engagement with its environment and personal history. It points out the role of self-narratives, which are definitionally constructed anew each time they are brought to mind. The monograph may prove essential in providing contemporary psychopathology with a comprehensive framework of how to think about psychiatric disorders by addressing some major methodological issues in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]