Dialogues in Philosophy
Mental and Neuro Sciences

Dialogues in Philosophy, Mental and Neuro Sciences
The official journal of Crossing Dialogues
Volume 17, Issue 2 (December 2024)
The phenomenology of violence and dysphoria in schizophrenia: exploring psychopathological and phenomenological dimensions
Luís Madeira
This paper investigates the phenomenological dimensions of aggressive emotions and dysphoric states specifically within schizophrenia, emphasizing distinctive psychopathological alterations of emotional experience. From a phenomenological standpoint, emotions are embodied, intentional, spatially structured, and relational experiences. Schizophrenia significantly disrupts these emotional structures, resulting in fragmented, reactive aggression intertwined with dysphoric states such as irritability, anxiety, and pervasive emotional discomfort. By systematically reviewing phenomenological, clinical, and psychiatric literature, we highlight critical disruptions in emotional intentionality, embodiment, and normative context. Such understanding enhances clinical precision in diagnosis, informs therapeutic interventions, and provides ethical and legal clarity on issues of autonomy and responsibility. We propose that phenomenological insights into aggression and dysphoria in schizophrenia are crucial for developing targeted, ethically sound psychiatric interventions and legal assessments.
Phenomenology, psychosis, aggressiveness, dysphoria, cognitive-behavioral therapy