Anomalies of imagination and development of psychosis: A phenomenological account.
Schizophrenia Research February 1, 2024 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2023.12.024 (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 | Mental imagery Schizophrenia Schizotypal disorder Self disorder Source monitoring deficits |
| Citations | 8 |
| Key points | Proposes that subjective anomalies of imagination in schizophrenia-spectrum disorders are linked to disturbances of basic self and can be involved in the emergence of delusions and hallucinatory phenomena. |
Abstract
In 20th century psychiatry, various disturbances of imagination were discussed in the context of schizophrenia. Today, these notions have almost completely vanished from mainstream psychopathology. However, recent work has suggested that specific phenomena within this area have a relevance for differential diagnosis and early detection of psychosis. This paper first provides an overview of 20th century psychopathological literature, as well as more recent neurocognitive studies, addressing disturbances of imagination and their role for symptom formation in schizophrenia. It then discusses recent empirical investigations of subjective anomalies of imagination in schizophrenia-spectrum disorders and suggests a clinical-phenomenological account of their role in the development of psychotic symptoms. Empirically and conceptually, these subjective anomalies are linked with disturbances of basic self. Patients' descriptions of the development of their anomalous experiences and symptoms indicate that increased spatial (object-like) articulation and instability of the first-personal manifestation of imaginative experience can be involved in the emergence of delusions and hallucinatory phenomena. Finally, a potential link between subjective anomalies of imagination and the neurocognitive construct of source monitoring deficits is discussed.
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 4
- 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
- From neuronal to mental topography - Neurophenomenology of auditory hallucinations. Translational Psychiatry November 21, 2025
- [A phenomenological approach to psychopathology of imagination: Development of a descriptive instrument - Examination of Anomalous Fantasy and Imagination]. L'Encephale August 1, 2025
Cites 13
- The Brain's Default Mode Network Annual Review of Neuroscience May 4, 2015
- Mysticism and schizophrenia: A phenomenological exploration of the structure of consciousness in the schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Consciousness and Cognition July 1, 2016
- Double bookkeeping and schizophrenia spectrum: divided unified phenomenal consciousness. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience December 1, 2021
- Anomalies of Imagination and Disordered Self in Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders. Psychopathology 2015
- Anomalies of Imagination, Self-Disorders, and Schizophrenia Spectrum Psychopathology: A Network Analysis. Frontiers in Psychiatry 2021
and 8 more in the library