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The psychiatrization of the opponent in polemical context

Doury, Marianne; Mansier, Pascale (2015), The psychiatrization of the opponent in polemical context, Scrutinizing Argumentation in Practice, Benjamins publishing company, p. 217-232. 10.1075/aic.9.12dou

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Type
Chapitre d'ouvrage
Date
2015
Book title
Scrutinizing Argumentation in Practice
Publisher
Benjamins publishing company
ISBN
9789027211262
Pages
217-232
Publication identifier
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Author(s)
Doury, Marianne
Mansier, Pascale
Abstract (FR)
Etude de l'utilisation de mots issus du vocabulaire de la psychiatrie ("parano", "hystérique", "autiste") dans le discours politique à des fins de discréditation de l'adversaire.
Abstract (EN)
A variant of the ad hominem argument amounts to challenging the opponent’s mental health. Semi-technical designations borrowed from psychiatric paradigms (such as autistic, paranoiac, hysterical) are thus appealed to in order to qualify the opponent. Based on three examples from polemical discussions on political issues, we investigate what kind of behaviour triggers such accusations, how they are justified, and how they are handled by the speaker to whom they are addressed.
Subjects / Keywords
argumentation; ad hominem; disqualification; pathologie mentale; disqualifying strategy; ad hominem argument; mental pathology