Concepts of intentionality and their application to the psychopathology of schizophrenia—a critique of the vulnerability model

Christoph Mundt

pp. 35-43

in: Manfred Spitzer, Brendan A. Maher (eds), Philosophy and psychopathology, Berlin, Springer, 1990

Abstract

At present, the vulnerability model (Zubin and Spring 1977) or the diathesis-stress model (Nuechterlein 1987) are widely accepted disease models of schizophrenia, especially in English speaking countries. Both propose that there is a threshold in an individual vulnerable or predisposed to emotional stress. In these models it is hypothesized that information processing in vulnerable individuals is slowed down and distorted so that an information load above the threshold makes the system break down. At a first glance these models seem to be convincing because they are simple, clear-cut and based on replicated empirical findings. They have guided research for years in many fields. Nevertheless there are some shortcomings.