On the phenomenology of delusion: the revelation of its aprioristic structures and the consequences for clinical practice

Resumo

Phenomenological Psychopathology understands delusion as the result of changes in the aprioristic structure of consciousness. In this article, we will review the main contributions that classical and contemporary phenomenological authors have made to the theme. Departing from these psychopathological syntheses, we will discuss the structural genesis of this phenomenon, the possible evolutionary consequences of the delusional state, and its general meaning within the ontological framework of consciousness. At the same time that the analytical depth of the contributions restated here comprises the best of what has been done within the phenomenological approach, the reality is that extensive areas remain uncharted, especially when regarding the clinical consequence of these insights for clinical practice. Thus, as notes of a preliminary nature, we will make observations about the therapeutic implications of previous phenomenological findings. Among them, we shall emphasize the importance of the aprioristic sphere of consciousness in the design of a pharmacological and psychotherapeutic approach to schizophrenia worthy of the psychopathological tradition to which this contribution is affiliated.