Schizophrenia, Aberrant Utterance and Delusions of Control: The Disconnection of Speech and Thought, and the Connection of Experience and Belief

Abstract

Uttered language does not necessarily reflect the planned communications of schizophrenia patients, nor do their delusions necessarily reflect basic failures of inferential reasoning. The role of inhibitory failure in the production of speech and the role of primary experiences of discrepancy between intention and action, and between experience-based expectations and perceived realities account for many of the clinical phenomena that have led to the conclusion that these patients have a 'thought' disorder, or a 'disturbed' mind. The alternatives and the evidence are summarized in this paper.