Antoni Kępiński

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Antoni Kępiński
Antoni Kępiński
BornNovember 16, 1918
Dolina near Stanisławów
DiedJune 8, 1972 (1972-06-09) (aged 53)
Kraków, Poland
NationalityPolish
CitizenshipPolish
Known forinformation metabolism, axiological psychiatry
AwardsKnight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta Gold Cross of Merit
Scientific career
FieldsPsychology, Psychiatry

Antoni Kępiński (November 16, 1918 – June 8, 1972) was a Polish psychiatrist.

He attended the Bartłomiej Nowodworski High School. In 1936 he entered the Medical Faculty of the Jagiellonian University. In 1939, he interrupted his studies before graduation and volunteered for the Polish Army to defend his country from the German invasion. After the successful invasion of Poland by Germany, Kępiński was captured and imprisoned in Hungary, to where he had fled. In 1940, he managed to escape imprisonment and headed to France, then Spain, where he was imprisoned in Miranda del Ebro.[1]

Later he was freed and moved to the United Kingdom, spending a short time with the Polish aircraft division. In 1944-5, he continued his medical studies in Edinburgh graduating in 1946. Soon he returned to Poland and took up psychiatry at the Psychiatric Clinic in Collegium Medicum of the Jagiellonian University in Kraków. Shortly before his death in 1972 he was appointed as Professor of that Faculty.[2]

As a concentration camp inmate himself he took part in a rehabilitation programme for survivors from the Auschwitz concentration camp.[3]

He is known for developing the concept of information metabolism.

Information metabolism

Information metabolism is a psychological theory of human social interactions based on information processing, proposed by Kępiński.[4] The most detailed description of information metabolism concept is given in his book "Melancholy".[5] In this model, the living organism is considered as an open system in the sense of Bertalanffy. Living beings are characterized by negentropy as their functioning results in thermodynamically ordered structures. The body itself retains the same basic structure, although its building elements (molecules) are replaced quite frequently. The energy derived from food and oxygen is spent on securing the integrity of the organism. To refer to the exchange of energy between the organism and its surroundings, Kępiński used the term "energy metabolism". Any activity of the body is an informational sign to other beings, and also for our own psyche. The perception of our own activities and those occurring in the external world, may be seen as information input to the psyche. The psyche can be seen as information-processing unit, with its reactions being the information outputs. As emhpasized by Kępiński, psychological structure of an individual remains relatively stable despite an ongoing exchange of information, analogically to the physical structure subject to energy metabolism.[6] In his books, Kępiński explained various mental conditions as disorders and imbalances of the information metabolism.

See also

References

  1. ^ Ryn, Zdzisław. "Mistrz Antoni Kępiński". psychiatria.pl. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
  2. ^ "Antoni Kępiński's short biography (In Polish) at newzealandline.wordpress.com".
  3. ^ Ryn, Zdzisław. "Mistrz Antoni Kępiński". psychiatria.pl. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
  4. ^ Bielecki, Andrzej. "The general entity of life: a cybernetic approach". Biological Cybernetics. 109 (3): 401–419. doi:10.1007/s00422-015-0652-8.
  5. ^ Kępiński, Antoni (2014). Melancholy (In Polish). Kraków: Wydawnictwo Literackie.
  6. ^ Kępiński, Antoni (2012). Schizophrenia (In Polish). Wydawnictwo Literackie. ISBN 978-83-08-04947-1.
  • Bielecki, A. (2000) A mathematical model of Kepinski's information metabolism model theory. Proceedings of the Sixth National Conference on Application of Mathematics in Biology and Medicine, Zawoja, 9-13.
  • Kępiński, A. (1972) Rytm życia (The Rhythm of life), Kraków: Wydawnictwo Literackie.
  • Kępiński, A. (1977) Melancholia (Melancholy), Warszawa, Państwowy Zakład Wydawnictw Lekarskich.
  • Kępiński, A. (1977) Psychopatie (Psychopathies), Warszawa: Państwowy Zakład Wydawnictw Lekarskich.
  • Kępiński, A. (1979) Schizofrenia (Schizophrenia), Warszawa: Państwowy Zakład Wydawnictw Lekarskich.
  • Kokoszka, A. (1993) Information metabolism as a model of consciousness. International Journal of Neuroscience, Vol. 68 (3-4), pp. 165–77.
  • Kokoszka, A. (1994) A rationale for multileveled model of relaxation. International Journal of Psychosomatics, Vol. 41, pp. 4–10.
  • Kokoszka, A. (1999) Information metabolism as a model of human experiences. International Journal of Neuroscience, Vol. 97 Issue 3/4, pp. 169–10.
  • Kokoszka, A. (2001) Mental organization according to the metabolism of information model and its mathematical description. International Journal of Neuroscience, Vol. 107 Issue 3/4, pp. 173–12.
  • Struzik, T. (1987) Kepinski's functional structures. Kohonen's topological structures aphasia and apraxia. International Journal of Neuroscience, Vol. 36, pp. 113–118.
  • Struzik, T. (1987) Kepinski's information metabolism. Carnot's principle and reformation theory. International Journal of Neuroscience, Vol. 36 (1-2), pp. 105–11.
  • Zych A. A., Higiena psychiczna w Polsce. Słownik biograficzny. (Mental hygiene in Poland. Biographical dictionary). Wrocław: Wyd. nauk. DSW, 2013, pp. 114–117.

Bibliography

His theories of information metabolism and axiological psychiatry are well known and his scientific work covers over 140 publications and several books.

His books:

  • Psychopatologia nerwic (Psychopathology of Neuroses)
  • Schizofrenia (Schizophrenia)
  • Melancholia (Melancholy)
  • Psychopatie (Psychopathies)
  • Lęk (Fear)
  • Podstawowe zagadnienia współczesnej psychiatrii (The Basic Concepts of Contemporary Psychiatry)
  • Poznanie chorego (Understanding the Patient)
  • Rytm życia (The Rhythm of Life)

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to Antoni Kępiński.
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