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Unusual Experiences, Reality Testing and Delusions of Alien Control
Author(s) -
Hohwy Jakob,
Rosenberg Raben
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
mind and language
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.905
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1468-0017
pISSN - 0268-1064
DOI - 10.1111/j.0268-1064.2005.00280.x
Subject(s) - delusion , psychology , reality testing , competence (human resources) , experiential learning , cognitive psychology , alien , epistemology , social psychology , medicine , neuroscience , psychiatry , cognition , philosophy , population , mathematics education , environmental health , census
Some monothematic types of delusions may arise because subjects have unusual experiences. The role of this experiential component in the pathogenesis of delusion is still not understood. Focussing on delusions of alien control, we outline a model for reality testing competence on unusual experiences. We propose that nascent delusions arise when there are local failures of reality testing performance, and that monothematic delusions arise as normal responses to these. In the course of this we address questions concerning the tenacity with which delusions are maintained, their often bizarre content, the patients’ inability to dismiss them, and their often circumscribed character.