Gloria Sibson Ayob, "The Concept of Emotional Disorder" (Oxford UP, 2025)

About this episode

Dr. Gloria Sibson Ayob discusses her book on the societal definitions and evaluations of emotional disorders.

The Concept of Emotional Disorder (Oxford University Press, 2025) is a philosophical and academic exploration of how society determines whether emotions are considered normal human experiences or emotional disorders. The book examines the concern that some ordinary emotions may be “over pathologized,” meaning they are increasingly treated as medical or psychiatric problems rather than understandable human responses to life circumstances. Drawing from philosophy, psychology, and mental health theory, Dr. Ayob explores how people evaluate emotions and how those evaluations shape our understanding of emotional disorder. In the author’s framing, the concept of “emotional disorder” is not simple or straightforward. It is built upon many smaller judgments we make about emotions, including whether emotions are reasonable, excessive, disruptive, socially acceptable, or connected to a person’s lived experience. Key Ideas: The book examines how emotional disorders are conceptually defined. Explores whether modern society sometimes medicalizes ordinary emotional experiences too quickly. Lived experience, personal meaning, and context all influence how emotions are understood. Encourages…

People in this episode

Host: Marshall Poe

Guest: Gloria Sibson Ayob

Topics covered

• emotional disorder
• philosophy of emotions
• mental health
• pathologization of emotions
• societal norms
• emotional awareness

Keywords

• emotional disorder
• pathologization
• mental health theory
• philosophy
• emotional experiences
• lived experience
• social acceptance

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Oxford University Press

Books & works: The Concept of Emotional Disorder

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