The One and the Many in the Schizophrenic Life-World

Abstract

This contribution concentrates on the analysis of the so-called Zenonian syndrome, which the author considers as one of the essential specific features of schizophrenic thought, self-reflexion, the solution of problem situations and social experience. She bases her work upon longitudinal analyses of schizophrenic cases that were conducted during psychotherapy as well as upon the results of formally logical and experimental studies. The term the “Zenonian syndrome” has been chosen by the author (first in her monograph: [The Possibilities and Limitations of Psychotherapy of Schizophrenic Diseases], Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague: 1965) after Zeno’s well-known logical paradox “of dichotomy” which says that there can be no true motion in as much as reaching the end of a course first involves covering an infinite number of halves of the course.