Cracks in the pattern: Gallagher's theory of the self and the dynamics of schizophrenic selfhood.
István Fazakas, Thomas Fuchs, Samuel Thoma, Cassandre Bois, Tudi Gozé
Frontiers in Psychiatry October 3, 2025 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1647545 (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 | Schizophrenia Recovery Mental health Selfhood Architectonics |
| Key points | Argues that Gallagher's Pattern Theory of the Self, while avoiding essentialism and supporting pluralism, lacks concrete tools for analyzing the organization of self-patterns in pathological cases. Proposes reframing the theory through the Kantian and phenomenological concept of "architectonics" to provide a stratified, genetic account of self-patterns that can analyze the fractured selfhood and recovery seen in schizophrenia spectrum disorders. |
Abstract
The contemporary debate on selfhood in philosophy, psychiatry, and cognitive science unfolds most often between two opposing tendencies: reductionism, seeking to identify a fundamental and minimal core of selfhood, and eliminativism, denying the existence of the self. Shaun Gallagher's Pattern Theory of the Self (PTS) has emerged as a promising alternative approach. By defining the self as a dynamical gestalt composed of heterogeneous elements and a multiplicity of interacting processes-including embodied, affective, cognitive, narrative, and social dimensions-the PTS offers an integrative and pluralist account of the self. Nevertheless, while the PTS succeeds in avoiding essentialism and supporting pluralism it faces the challenge of providing concrete tools to analyze the organization of self-patterns, particularly in pathological cases such as schizophrenia. We propose a reframing of PTS through the concept of architectonics, rooted in Kantian philosophy and developed in the phenomenological tradition. The architectonic view allows for a stratified and genetic account of self-patterns, attentive to the polyrhythmic unfolding of lived experience across multiple temporal and structural layers. Furthermore, it enables a fine-grained analysis of pathologies and recovery of the self, notably in schizophrenia spectrum disorders, where selfhood appears to be fractured.
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 3
- Vipassanā Meditation in Contemporary Psychiatry: Transformation of a Buddhist Practice into a Mental Health Intervention Kamali: Jurnal Ilmu Agama June 26, 2026
- Phenomenology and psychopharmacology: a mutually enlightening relationship? Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences May 14, 2026
- Theoretical Perspectives on the Minimal and Narrative Self in the Schizophrenia Spectrum: An Integrative Review. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Cognitive Science 2026
Cites 9
- I Me Mine: on a Confusion Concerning the Subjective Character of Experience. Review of Philosophy and Psychology 2017
- Thought insertion and disturbed for-me-ness (minimal selfhood) in schizophrenia. Consciousness and Cognition September 1, 2019
- Thin, Thinner, Thinnest: Defining the Minimal Self Embodiment, Enaction, and Culture April 14, 2017
- Examination of self patterns: framing an alternative phenomenological interview for use in mental health research and clinical practice. Frontiers in Psychology 2024
- Personal Identity and Narrativity in Borderline Personality Disorder: A Phenomenological Reconfiguration. Psychopathology 2023
and 4 more in the library