Unsuccessful Accommodations: Reconceptualizing the Psychopathology Attributed to Neuropsychological Deficits

Abstract

This contribution proposes reframing the concept of psychopathology as it applies to the dysfunctions that individuals with neuropsychological deficits display. It suggests that labeling these dysfunctions as symptoms of an underlying condition is an incomplete way of characterizing the process that leads to that outcome. An evolutionary and nonlinear dynamic systems approach complements this position and depathologizes individuals’ efforts to deal with their disabilities. The proposed modification introduces the concept of unsuccessful accommodations to characterize these individuals’ efforts to deal with their deficits.