THE DANGERS OF ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY IN MENTAL-BEHAVIORAL HEALTH PRACTICE: A CRITICAL REFLEXIVE ANALYSIS

This analysis examines the risks that arise when professional knowledge in mental-behavioral health is treated as certain or unquestionable. While established theories and practices offer valuable guidance, they are shaped by history and culture (Foucault, 1988; Haraway, 1988). Using insights from different professional fields, clinical work, and personal reflection, this article explores how knowledge that is treated as fixed, complete, or unquestionable can unintentionally obscure complexity, overlook lived experiences, and reinforce dominant ways of thinking in clinical and educational settings (Mullan, 2023). While a degree of understanding is necessary for practice, knowledge is never complete or neutral and is always shaped by context. Here, “absolute certainty” refers to privileging authority and standardization over relationships and context. It also involves the uncritical acceptance and application of p ... continue reading->

Keywords: Epistemic certainty; Reflexivity; Mental-behavioral health; Cultural humility; Qualitative inquiry; Decolonizing practice; Clinical ethics