Definitions of schizophrenia, 1908–1987: The failed essentialism

Abstract

This work examines the historical conceptualization of schizophrenia through definition from 1908–1987. Rather than reveal an essentialist definition of schizophrenia in North America, it reveals a history of varying and competing professional definitions. It demonstrates and historically contextualizes how widespread conceptual instability and disagreement over the nature of the concept gave rise to a new, but still contested, theoretical emphasis on operational definitions. As made manifest through definition, schizophrenia has not been a stable transhistorical object. Rather, the characteristic feature in schizophrenia definition appears to be instability and variance rather than stability or long historical periods of agreement. This analysis nevertheless cautions against overstating the importance of fluctuating definition in assessing the ontological status of contemporary interpretations of schizophrenia.