Fictionality of Schizophrenic Delusions

Abstract: A state in which the phenomena of the surrounding world are transformed into a set of symbols that transmit indefinite meanings is thought to provide the circumstances under which delusions arise. The surrounding world is interpreted as a written text, and when the schizophrenic reads this and attempts to construct a coherent fictional account of it, a process of delusion formation takes place, and this process corresponds symptomatologically to a delusional system. If delusions are considered in comparison with fictions, in particular fantastic fictions, areas are found in the paranoid patient's mental processes where contingency is left out, and for that reason it is not possible for the delusional account to be satisfactorily completed.