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. 2022 Oct 14:13:822989.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.822989. eCollection 2022.

Aphantasia and psychological disorder: Current connections, defining the imagery deficit and future directions

Dan Cavedon-Taylor  1
Affiliations

Aphantasia and psychological disorder: Current connections, defining the imagery deficit and future directions

Dan Cavedon-Taylor. Front Psychol. .

Abstract

Aphantasia is a condition characterized by a deficit of mental imagery. Since several psychopathologies are partially maintained by mental imagery, it may be illuminating to consider the condition against the background of psychological disorder. After outlining current findings and hypotheses regarding aphantasia and psychopathology, this paper suggests that some support for defining aphantasia as a lack of voluntary imagery may be found here. The paper then outlines potentially fruitful directions for future research into aphantasia in general and its relation to psychopathology in particular, including rethinking use of the SUIS to measure involuntary imagery, whether aphantasia offers protection against addiction, and whether hyperphantasia is a potential risk factor for maladaptive daydreaming, among others.

Keywords: SUIS; VVIQ; addiction; aphantasia; intrusive imagery; maladaptive daydreaming; mental imagery; post-traumatic stress disorder.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author declares that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

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