The relationships between autobiographical memory and the self in schizophrenia: the dysconnection hypothesis
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62
Schizophrenia is a mental illness known to be associated with severe disorders of the self. It is also characterized by cognitive impairment, which affects, in particular, executive functions and autobiographical memory. Our research work was based on the theoretical model put forward by Conway (2005), which posits reciprocal relationships between autobiographical memory and the self. Our results led us to the hypothesis of a dysconnection between the self and autobiographical memories in schizophrenia. This dysconnection is the consequence of altered executive processes linked to the self, this affecting the balance between cognitive and affective processes. It may account for a global weakening of the phenomenological characteristics of autobiographical memories, a poorer integration of the memories, which are closely linked to the self, a deficient organization of autobiographical memory, and the development and maintenance of persecutory delusions. These results led us to develop several therapeutic interventions, such as cognitive remediation methods aimed at reinforcing the subjective experience associated with the recall of past events, and psychotherapeutic programs aimed at reinforcing the links between past personal events and the self.
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