The introduction of the principle of complementarity into scientific thinking
Before turning to the debate regarding psychiatry and psychotherapy, it might be useful to recall from the history of science the “principle of complementarity,” introduced by Niels Bohr in quantum physics to resolve controversies arising between various behavioral patterns of science research objects due to different conditions and observers’ criteria. The aforementioned principle implies that the observers will regard their observation objects from different angles depending on the criteria and terms they set, e.g. whether they consider an electron to be a particle or a wave. According to this principle, findings obtained under different observation conditions and terms cannot be simply summed up or combined to form a single whole pattern, as they reflect different (though complementary) features of an entity corresponding to the research object (Bohr, N., 1929/1961; Bohr, N., 1958/1997). While formulating the principle, Niels Bohr (1929/1961) suggested employing two mutually exclusive but complementary theoretical models, each with its own internal logic, to obtain a complete description of the research object entity, which would help to explain data obtained under different conditions and terms. On creating that mode of description for quantum physics, Niels Bohr (1958/1997) then employed it in biology, psychology, and cultural studies. He wrote: “…The integrity of living organisms, and the characteristics of conscious individuals, and most of human cultures, present features of wholeness, the account of which implies a typically complementary mode of description” (Bohr, N., 1958/1997, p. 7).