Abstract

The first purpose of this dissertation is to convey that perspective building through the voice of the schizophrenic is a valid area of research activity. The dominant discourse in the behavioral paradigms reflected hypothesis testing of family interactive features such as expressed emotion, communication deviance and affective style rather than tracking changes in the conceptual structure of the schizophrenic. Examination of the discourse engaged in by schizophrenics, through text creation, was a relevant tool with which to strengthen understanding of the discourse of schizophrenia. ;The second purpose of this dissertation is to empower the voice of the schizophrenic in the research literature. I disclaimed views of schizophrenia as a rhetoric of mystification and disparagement and advance, instead, a view promoting understanding. Traditionally, researchers have focused on development of theoretical frameworks from the psychodynamic, behavioral and physiological paradigms. These paradigms reflected the voice of psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers and family members. Empowerment is made possible through the visibility of the schizophrenic's voice in the perspective building process. ;The computer program Ethnograph was used to perform a textual analysis of the perceptual data. This program accepted a variety of data to tabulate, count and identify common themes and compare the perspectives of schizophrenics through their voice. The schizophrenic's voice was the historical narrative. The historical narratives were transcribed, coded and input into the computer program Ethnograph. ;They were coded using Arieti's descriptions of schizophrenic behaviors to identify those features which make a person schizophrenic. They were also coded using Tillich's ideology of the self-world structure to examined how the schizophrenic views his or her world. Comparisons were then generated to identify patterns in the schizophrenic's historical narratives