Psychiatrists sometimes feel that a patient's behavior is "incomprehensible (unverstäntlich)" (Jaspers, K.). We examined the relationship between psychiatrists' feeling of "incomprehensibility" and patients' "biological abnormality", with the concept of "continuity of meaning (Sinnkontinuität)" used by Schneider, K., although Schneider himself did not define this concept. We defined the meaning as follows: when an event acts on a system and generates a difference in the spatiotemporal pattern within the system, the difference is the meaning of that event for that system. In addition, "meaning continuity" means "the series of differences generated here corresponds to the purpose of the system".
The principle of evolution is to select genes that contribute more to survival and reproduction. As a consequence, the neuronal network has evolved to contribute to the survival of life by reflecting the environment and acting suitably. Through this network, a large number of neuron group cooperative firings interact, integrate, and unify in the uppermost layer. The neural activities here are called "neural correlates of consciousness" (NCC). Furthermore, human NCC have evolved to grasp the meaning of NCC activities of others. According to Edelman, G. M., NCC entail the qualia of subjective experience (consciousness). When "my NCC" grasp the meaning of NCC activities of others, "subjective qualia" of that meaning occur in the experience. These subjective qualia were called "comprehension (Verstehen)" by Dilthey, W. and Jaspers, K.
There are many mutations and variations among the inherent life phenomena including NCC, but as long as the phenomena are normal, "meaning continuity" always follows. When "meaning continuity" of a life phenomenon collapses, we generally regard this as losing original inherent purpose and regard it as "abnormal". If the psychiatrist's own NCC's function is "ideal and perfect", a psychiatrist's "qualia of comprehensibility/incomprehensibility" will correspond to "retention/disruption of meaning", i. e., "biological normality/abnormality" of the patient's NCC, as Schneider, K., stated.
<Author's abstract>
Relationship between Incomprehensibility (Unverständlichkeit, Jaspers, K.) and Neurobiological Abnormality in Psychiatry
Department of Psychiatry, Saitama Medical University
Psychiatria et Neurologia Japonica
119: 827-836, 2017
<Keywords:subjective experience, incomprehensibility, continuity of meaning, neural correlates of consciousness, biological abnormality>