Background: Although “passion” is still occasionally used in ordinary language, it is generally not considered to be a valid theoretical category in the sciences. While there are good reasons why “passion” has disappeared from the vocabulary of science, there are also good reasons to reconsider its utility in a number of scientific domains. Properly understood, “passion” provides a novel and promising perspective on both the nature of Anorexia Nervosa and current therapies for that condition. Appreciating this fact does not mean we have to abandon our current theories and therapies, but it may provide important clues on how to improve them.
Objectives: 1. Introduce relelvant history of the term and concept "passion."
2. Develop an approriate definition of "passion."
3. Apply the definition to Anorexia Nervosa and explore its implications
2. Methodological preliminaries and limitations of the Project
3. History of affective states and concepts
4. History and definition of "passion"
5. Application of the concept to empirical data
6. Implications for theory and treatment of Anorexia Nervosa
Louis C Charland is Professor in the Departments of Philosophy and Psychiatry and the School of Health Studies at Western University in London, Ontario, Canada. His areas of specialization are the history and philosophy of emotion, and the history and philosophy of psychiatry. Professor Charland has also worked extensively in the health care sector with various teaching and consultant positions in hospitals, government, and clinical trials research
