Understanding as explaining: how motives can become causes

Abstract The distinction of „understanding“ and „explaining“, formulated by Karl Jaspers in his „General Psychopathology“, has had a lasting effect on psychiatry. As result, phenomenological, hermeneutic, or psychodynamic approaches have often been accorded only descriptive epiphenomenal status, while the actual causes mental illness sought neurobiologically genetically based explanations. In contrast, this paper defends explanatory role understanding phenomenological approaches. To end, two levels explanation are distinguished shown to be equally justified principle, namely, motivational at macro-level physical micro-level. causal motivational, i.e., understandable connections is then demonstrated means conception circular causality, which includes downward causality. Finally, analyses also psychotic disorders that refuse understanding, using example schizophrenic delusion.