MERTONS PARADIGM - AN AMENDMENT TO FORM GLOBAL AXIS VI IN A FUTURE REVISION OF THE DIAGNOSTIC AND STATISTICAL MANUAL

The authors will attempt to establish that the Diagnostic and Statisti cal Manual (DSM), Multiaxial Evaluation System, could become more comp rehensive with the addition of Merton's Individual Modes of Adaptation paradigm. IS at a future date, Merton's conceptual model is incorpora ted into a new Global Axis VI, the DSM Global Axis and its future revi sions will have categories that are not only understandable and benefi cial to psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers, but to socia l psychologists, sociologists, criminologists, political scientists an d political economists as well. We will also suggest that not only doe s the paradigm incorporate the individual's adaptation I maladaptation to the larger world, but also will not burden the DSM in its future m anifestations because it does not specify etiology, Additionally, it i s noted that since the DSM has covered great and tumultuous territory in the past, this inclusion will be an enhancement that does not infri nge upon the professional territory of clinicians.