[On the temporality of delusional perception]

Abstract

From a descriptive-phenomenological point of view, Huber and Gross differentiated delusional perception with and without concrete abnormal meanings from each other. The latter was regarded as "prozesshaft" and not understandable even by an anthropological-phenomenological interpretation. In this paper, we anthropologically elucidated a temporality of schizophrenia concerning the delusional perception without concrete abnormal meanings. In considering the distinguishing feature of delusion, we paid attention to the exclusion of chance. Generally speaking, a chance encounter between person A and person B is only actualized when they are situated at the same place at the same time. Furthermore they are surprised by such a chance encounter neither in the past nor in the future, but exactly in the present. In this sense, the temporal aspect of a chance encounter is characterized by an intersubjective synchronicity in the present. No one could intentionally produce a chance encounter with others. It takes place only spontaneously. This kind of spontaneity is in Japanese paraphrased by the word "shi-zen" which could be literally translated into "nature" in English. According to some Japanese linguists the spontaneity of "shi-zen" can not be properly expressed either in the active voice or in the passive voice, but in the middle voice, which the Japanese still often use in everyday conversation. Therefore, a chance encounter is produced in the present by "shi-zen" whose becoming is described in the middle voice and not in the active voice. In a chance encounter, we sometimes seek some hidden meaning. However, because of their spontaneity, chance encounters cannot have reasonable meanings. They occur without any reason in the present. In his/her delusional perception without concrete abnormal meanings, a schizophrenic patient often feels that others do something at the same time as the patient acts. Therefore, the patient is confronted with an intersubjective synchronicity that he/she does not intend to bring about at all. Objectively, this synchronicity is nothing but a chance encounter. However the patient distinguishes the unintentional intersubjective synchronicity of the delusional perception from that of the chance encounter, because the former synchronicity is produced--from the point of view of the patient--not by a spontaneous occurrence of "shi-zen", but by the doing of others. This schizophrenic synchronicity indicates a pathological relation to the present in which "shi-zen" leads to a chance. The delusional perception as an unintentional intersubjective synchronicity cannot have any concrete meaning. This should be attributed not to some organic disorder, but to the simple fact that a chance encounter essentially has no reasonable meaning because of its spontaneity. So far, schizophrenic experiences that are difficult to understand have been mostly regarded as senseless phenomena that result from some organic disorder. Every chance encounter could also be regarded as senseless because it happens without reason. However, the senselessness of a chance encounter has nothing to do with an organic disorder. This kind of normal senselessness was discussed by K. Schneider concerning his concept "Untergrund". The psychopathology of schizophrenia should take such normal senselessness into consideration, as suggested by K. Schneider.