The phenomenological nature of schizophrenia and disorder of selfhood.
Josef Parnas, Karl Erik Sandsten
Schizophrenia Research August 1, 2024 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2024.06.032 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Keywords | Psychopathology Schizophrenia Self-disorder |
| Citations | 17 |
| Key points | Argues that disorders of selfhood constitute the characteristic Gestalt of schizophrenia and underlie its core symptoms, including double bookkeeping, hallucinations, and delusions. |
Abstract
Schizophrenia continues its resistance to the pathogenetic understanding. We believe that one of the reasons is an oblivion of schizophrenia's characteristic Gestalt expressive of its psychopathological structure. In this article we argue for a crucial role of disorders of selfhood in the constitution of this Gestalt. First, we present a phenomenological account of the self. This is followed by an exposition of basic complaints in schizophrenia which are reflective of a disordered selfhood and which often date back to childhood. We then present characteristic features of the schizophrenic psychosis with its phenomenon of "double bookkeeping". Hallucinations, delusions and double bookkeeping are all associated with the instability of the self. Finally, we briefly address characteristic aspects of the encounter with a schizophrenia patient and argue that self-disorders play an important diagnostic role. We conclude by emphasizing the role of phenomenology in psychiatric research.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on philosophy of mind, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychosis as a state of aberrant salience: a framework linking biology, phenomenology, and pharmacology in schizophrenia. | 2003 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| From dopamine to salience to psychosis--linking biology, pharmacology and phenomenology of psychosis. | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| How do the brain's time and space mediate consciousness and its different dimensions? Temporo-spatial theory of consciousness (TTC). | 2017 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The phenomenology of deep brain stimulation-induced changes in OCD: an enactive affordance-based model. | 2013 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Looking for the Self: Phenomenology, Neurophysiology and Philosophical Significance of Drug-induced Ego Dissolution | 2017 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cited by 7
- The neurophenomenology of basic self-disturbance in early psychosis: Association with clinical outcome in an ultra-high risk sample. Australasian Psychiatry August 1, 2025
- The Embodied Mind as Pharmacological Target: Towards a Phenomenology of Psychopharmacological Interventions. Psychopathology 2025
- Visual and Auditory Verbal Hallucinations in Schizophrenia and Their Relation to Self-Disorders. Psychopathology 2026
- Theoretical Perspectives on the Minimal and Narrative Self in the Schizophrenia Spectrum: An Integrative Review. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Cognitive Science 2026
- Reconceptualizing Schizophrenia through a Patient-Oriented Perspective: a Systematic Review and Qualitative Meta-Synthesis. Schizophrenia Bulletin August 20, 2026
and 2 more in the library
Cites 11
- Thought insertion and disturbed for-me-ness (minimal selfhood) in schizophrenia. Consciousness and Cognition September 1, 2019
- Double bookkeeping and schizophrenia spectrum: divided unified phenomenal consciousness. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience December 1, 2021
- Disorder of Selfhood in Schizophrenia: A Symptom or a Gestalt? Psychopathology 2022
- Double bookkeeping in schizophrenia spectrum disorder: an empirical-phenomenological study. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience September 1, 2024
- Phenomenology of auditory verbal hallucination in schizophrenia: An erroneous perception or something else? Schizophrenia Research March 1, 2024
and 6 more in the library