This work investigates the ethical and social implications of framing moral character traits and human behaviors as medical pathologies. Jerome C. Wakefield, a professor of social work and psychiatry, examines the conceptual boundaries between normal human variation and mental disorder. He argues that the expansion of diagnostic categories often pathologizes virtues or personality traits, potentially undermining the concept of individual moral agency.

Scholars in the field of bioethics frequently cite this work as a foundational text for understanding the conceptual foundations of psychiatric diagnosis. Readers often note the academic density of the prose, which requires a strong background in philosophy or clinical psychology to fully grasp the nuances of the argument.