Misattribution of agency in schizophrenia

an exploration of historical first-person accounts

Maes

van Gool

pp. 191-202

in: Phenomenology and the cognitive sciences 7 (2), 2008.

Abstract

This paper provides a concise description and discussion of bottom–up and top–down approaches to misattribution of agency in schizophrenia. It explores if first-person accounts of passivity phenomena can provide support for one of these approaches. The focus is on excerpts in which the writers specifically examine their experiences of external influence. None of the accounts provides arguments that fit easily with only one of the possible approaches, which is in line with current attempts to theoretical integration.