Contexts of “Alexignosia”

“Alexignosia” is a term that I introduce in order to describe a severe disruption in the desire for knowledge and the process of thought. Even though it often resembles a subject's defensive refusal to invest in objects of knowledge, in essence it hides a partial or total abolition of the function of thinking. According to my view, alexignosia originates in the context of the first caregivers' during the formative years of a child's life; a context consisting of discourses, attitudes, paradoxical injunctions, and unconscious desires, all of which are usually marked with some of psychotic aspects of parents. In this article I will first present how the thought and desire for knowledge is developed, basing my theoretical perspective on the work of French psychoanalyst, Piera Aulagnier. Secondly, I will refer to selected clinical cases, so I can describe certain types of alexignosia and the respective parental contexts that lead the child to such a psychological response.