Schizotypy as a process: Relational refusal, spiritual materialism and closed-circuit thinking
Giovanna Azevedo Rodrigues, Marcelo Eduardo Caixeta
Research Society and Development October 10, 2026 DOI: 10.33448/rsd-v15i10.51809 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Proposes a five-proposition interpretive model of schizotypy in which refusal of the relational field is the entry condition, an intuition of transcendence provides raw material, and the search bifurcates into progressive (toward life with others) or regressive (toward matter, "spiritual materialism") directions, with closed-circuit "nth-level logic" arising without the other as corrective and mood disorders plus time fostering schizophrenization. Argues the literature supports isolation-psychosis associations, withdrawal preceding positive symptoms, and a ten-year psychosis risk above 40% in diagnosed schizotypal patients, and that the therapeutic target is the relationship rather than belief content. |
Abstract
Schizotypy is described as a multidimensional trait and a risk marker for the schizophrenia spectrum, but its psychopathological understanding as a process remains underdeveloped. This essay proposes an interpretive model and examines it against the literature of 2021 to 2026. The model comprises five propositions: (1) refusal of the relational field is the entry condition, reached through schizoid, anxious-avoidant, narcissistic and autistic routes; (2) the intuition of transcendence provides the raw material; (3) this search bifurcates into a progressive direction, toward life with others, and a regressive one, toward matter (spiritual materialism); (4) without the other as a corrective, thinking operates in a closed circuit (nth-level logic); (5) thymopathy (mood disorders in general) and time aggravate the process and foster schizophrenization. The literature supports the association between isolation and psychotic experiences, the precedence of withdrawal over positive symptoms, the role of hyperreflexivity, the precedence of affective dysregulation over psychotic-like experiences and a ten-year risk of psychosis above 40% in diagnosed schizotypal patients. Two qualifications and one limitation follow. On the autistic route, magical ideation runs opposite to the autistic trait in non-clinical samples yet accompanies autism in epidemiological and clinical ones, and is read as a product of the process. Shared esoteric beliefs are not equivalent to delusion, which calls for a functional criterion. The cohort that documents this risk does not support mood diagnoses or older age as risk factors. The therapeutic target is the relationship rather than the content of the belief, and testable hypotheses are presented.