Anomalies of Imagination, Self-Disorders, and Schizophrenia Spectrum Psychopathology: A Network Analysis.
Andreas Rosén Rasmussen, Andrea Raballo, Antonio Preti, Ditte Sæbye, Josef Parnas
Frontiers in Psychiatry 2021 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.808009 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 81 |
| Population | Patients with schizophrenia or other non-affective psychosis, schizotypal personality disorder, other mental illness, and healthy controls |
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Keywords | Eafi Ease Psychosis Subjective experience |
| Citations | 21 |
| Key findings | Anomalies of imagination are highly characteristic of schizophrenia-spectrum disorders and closely related to self-disorders. |
Abstract
Anomalies of imagination encompass disturbances of the basic experiential structure of fantasies and imagery that can be explored in a semi-structured way with the Examination of Anomalous Fantasy and Imagination (EAFI). We aimed (1) to examine the distribution of anomalies of imagination among different diagnostic groups and a group of healthy controls, and (2) to examine their relation with disorders of basic self, perceptual disturbances and canonical state psychopathology of the schizophrenia-spectrum (positive, negative and general symptoms). The 81 participants included patients with schizophrenia or other non-affective psychosis (N = 32), schizotypal personality disorder (N = 15) or other mental illness (N = 16) and healthy controls (N = 18). The assessment encompassed EAFI, Examination of Anomalous Self-Experience (EASE), parts of Bonn Scale for the Assessment of Basic Symptoms (BSABS) and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). For network analysis, the associations of EAFI with the other psychopathological variables were tested by Pearson's correlation coefficient and graphically represented using multidimensional clustering. Comparisons between correlations in the network were tested with Steiger's test. Anomalies of imagination aggregated significantly in schizophrenia-spectrum disorders compared to other mental illness and healthy controls with no difference between schizophrenia and schizotypal disorder. In the network analysis, anomalies of imagination were closely inter-connected with self-disorders. Although, the anomalies of imagination correlated moderately with perceptual disturbance and positive, negative and general state symptomatology, these dimensions aggregated separately and relatively distant in the network. The results support that anomalies of imagination are highly characteristic of schizophrenia-spectrum disorders and closely related to self-disorders.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on philosophy of mind, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Survey of entity encounter experiences occasioned by inhaled N,N-dimethyltryptamine: Phenomenology, interpretation, and enduring effects. People who had a memorable entity encounter after taking N,N-dimethyltryptamine | 2020 | Survey | n = 2,561 |
| Future directions in meditation research: Recommendations for expanding the field of contemplative science Meditators | 2018 | Cross-sectional online survey | n = 1,120 |
| The Phenomenology of Lucid Dreaming: An Online Survey Respondents to an online survey about lucid dreams | 2014 | Online survey | n = 684 |
| The neurophenomenology of early psychosis: An integrative empirical study. Ultra-high risk for psychosis patients, first episode psychosis patients, and healthy... | 2019 | Cross-sectional | n = 123 |
| Spontaneous Spiritual Awakenings: Phenomenology, Altered States, Individual Differences, and Well-Being People reporting their most powerful Spontaneous Spiritual or Kundalini Awakening | 2021 | Mixed within and between-participants self-report survey design | n = 152 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 10
- Obsessive-compulsive symptoms and dissociative experiences: Suggested underlying mechanisms and implications for science and practice Frontiers in Psychology March 22, 2023
- Anomalies of imagination and development of psychosis: A phenomenological account. Schizophrenia Research February 1, 2024
- From Experience to Symptoms: A Multilayer Hierarchy of Psychopathological Dimensions in Schizophrenia. Psychopathology June 30, 2025
- Poor insight and self-disorders in schizophrenia: an empirical study. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience April 1, 2026
- Disembodied Language in Early-Onset Schizophrenia. Frontiers in Psychiatry 2022
and 5 more in the library
Cites 13
- Self‐experience in the early phases of schizophrenia: 5‐year follow‐up of the Copenhagen Prodromal Study World Psychiatry October 1, 2011
- Mysticism and schizophrenia: A phenomenological exploration of the structure of consciousness in the schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Consciousness and Cognition July 1, 2016
- Disordered Selfhood in Schizophrenia and the Examination of Anomalous Self-Experience: Accumulated Evidence and Experience. Psychopathology 2021
- Anomalies of Imagination and Disordered Self in Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders. Psychopathology 2015
- Imagination and Self Disorders in Schizophrenia: A Review. Psychopathology 2020
and 8 more in the library