Situating Phenomenological Psychopathology: Subjective Experience Within the World

Book excerpt: vThe discipline of phenomenological psychopathology has historically focused on elucidating the ways in which persons with psychiatric illnesses experience themselves and the world. Early pioneers in this field were aware of the impact of uncontrollable life events on the onset and course of severe illness, such as Jaspers’ recognition that environmental events may stimulate or enhance certain “innate potentialities” for the development of a disorder. Furthermore, the role of environment and life events in the development and onset of psychiatric illness has been well-documented. For example, there is a clear relationship between the development of psychotic symptoms and life stressors including adverse childhood events, urban living, and migration. However, relatively little attention (with some notable exceptions) has been devoted to exploring the features of those experienced worlds and how they may impact the trajectory of severe illnesses such as schizophrenia, depression, and personality disorders.