Intersubjectivity in schizophrenia: Life story analysis of three cases

• Main Authors: Leonor eIrarrázaval, Dariela eSharim
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2014-02-01
• Series: Frontiers in Psychology
• Subjects: Schizophrenia; Phenomenology; clinical psychology; intersubjectivity; hermeneutic; life stories
• Online Access: http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00100/full

The processes involved in schizophrenia are approached from a viewpoint of understanding, revealing those social elements susceptible to integration for psychotherapeutic purposes, as a complement to the predominant medical-psychiatric focus. Firstly, the paper decsribes the patients’ disturbances of self experience and body alienations manifested in acute phases of schizophrenia. Secondly, the paper examines the patients’ personal biographical milestones, and consequently, the acute episode is contextualized within the intersubjective scenario in which it manifested itself in each case. Thirdly, the patients’ life stories are analysed from a clinical psychological perspective, meaningfully connecting symptoms and lifeworld. Finally, it will be argued that the intersubjective dimension of the patients’ life stories shed light not only on the interpersonal processes involved in schizophrenia but also upon the psychotherapeutic intervention best suited to each individual case.