Making a case for constructive reductionism
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Updated: Jan 26, 2026

Design and Construction of an Urban Runoff Research Facility
Published on: August 8, 2014
1Section of Addiction Medicine,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy,Friedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nuremberg,91054 Erlangen,Germany.christian.mueller@uk-erlangen.dehttp://www.psychiatrie.uk-erlangen.de/wir_ueber_uns/mitarbeiter/prof_dr_rer_nat_christian_p_mueller/index_ger.html.
Abstract:
Borsboom and colleagues argue that reductionism in psychopathology research has not provided the expected insights. Instead, they suggest a systems approach of interacting syndromes, which, however, falls short of a perspective for empirical testing. Here, a combination of both approaches is suggested: a reductionistic empirical approach allowing testability, synergistic with a constructivistic systems appraisal of syndrome networks - a constructive reductionism.
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