Delusions in the phenomenological perspective

Abstract

The aim of the article is to present the contemporary concepts of delusions from the phenomenological perspective. The difficulties to define delusions and the examples of delusional disorders, such as delusional mood, Cotard’s syndrome, or Capgras delusions, serve as the point of departure for this analysis. The questions of the phenomenological understanding of delusions are presented in the context of Karl Jaspers' theory of the incomprehensibility of psychotic thinking (primary delusions, delusional mood). The subsequent analysis presents the constraints of contemporary cognitive theories of delusions. The criticism of said theories highlights the need for creating a broader concept of experience and cognition and results in the proposition to use the terms background and “embodiment as theoretical tools for a more complete understanding of the peculiarities of delusional experience.