Psychorelativism

The weak version of Psychorealism. It holds that different minds (individuals, cultures, psychiatric conditions) produce different subjective realities, and none can be considered objectively superior. It is a psychological relativism: truth is relative to mental state. It is often invoked to defend the legitimacy of non‑ordinary experiences (shamanism, non‑pathologised psychosis). Critics point out the risk of therapeutic incoherence (if everything is relative, why treat any suffering?). It can lead to a paralyzing pluralism where no judgment about mental health is possible.

Example: “Psychorelativism claims that the voice a schizophrenic hears is as real to him as your cough is to you. But a psychiatrist asks: ‘If he asks not to take medication, should we respect that reality?’”

Psychodeterminism

The strong version of Psychorealism. It asserts that the structure of the mind (whether unconscious, traumatic, or archetypal) necessarily and invariantly determines all perception, thought, and behaviour. There is no free will, nor any possibility of escaping the mental categories inherited from biography or species. It is a common position in radical readings of psychoanalysis (everything is drive determinism) or radical behaviourism (everything is internalised environmental determinism). Psychodeterminism collapses under its own rhetoric because the determinist’s own argument would also be a mere symptom.

Example: “A psychodeterminist said: ‘You don’t love your partner – you’re repeating childhood attachment patterns.’ The partner replied: ‘If so, your argument is also a symptom. Then why should I take it seriously?’ The determinism dissolved in its own rhetoric.”

Psychorelativism by Abzu Land May 27, 2026