The Sense of Schizophrenic Life: Experience, Autobiographical Memory and Identity

Is schizophrenia a mental disorder that affects the course and integrity of thinkingto associate facts and the identity of the person? And what else? Autobiographicalmemory is the area of memory that synthesizes the... [ view full abstract ]

Is schizophrenia a mental disorder that affects the course and integrity of thinking
to associate facts and the identity of the person? And what else? Autobiographical
memory is the area of memory that synthesizes the collection of past personal experiences. The sense of self is involved in individuals when they remember a past event and can be experienced in it. This experience is also known as "conscious memory". Self-memories are less linked to the images of people with schizophrenia, as well as a weak sense of self and a bad organization of their autobiographical memory that leads to poor self-cohesion. The narratives of people with schizophrenia have poor prowess to identify mental states, view the world from different perspectives, and use knowledge to respond correctly to various psychological changes. Deficits in narrative identity are associated with poor insight. The construction of a coherent identity over time depends on the
autobiographical memory.

This workshop will analyze the diagnostic and therapeutic bases from a theoretical and practical point of view. We will use tools that include collaborative discussion, exchanges of experiences and demonstration in audiovisual format to illustrate our work model.OBJECTIVES OF THE WORKSHOP: 1) Discuss current diagnostic methods for the evaluation of autobiographical memory in subjects with schizophrenia. 2) Analyze the relationship of experiences in schizophrenic subjects with their identity and other clinical variables. 3) Promote the development of new integrative narratives in subjects with schizophrenia linked to their experiences for the construction of a coherent and organized identity.