Cognitive Gain or Handicap: Magical Ideation and Self-Absorption in Clinical and Non-clinical Participants

János Kállai; Gábor Vincze; Imre András Török; Rita Hargitai; Sándor Rózsa; István Hartung; István Tamás; András Láng; Róbert Herold

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.613074

Cognitive Gain or Handicap: Magical Ideation and Self-Absorption in Clinical and Non-clinical Participants

Front Psychol. 2021 Feb 26:12:613074. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.613074. eCollection 2021.

Authors

János Kállai¹, Gábor Vincze², Imre András Török², Rita Hargitai³, Sándor Rózsa⁴, István Hartung¹, István Tamás¹, András Láng⁵, Róbert Herold⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Behavioural Sciences, Medical School, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary.
² Pándy Kálmán Division, Department of Psychiatry, Békés Country Hospital Center, Gyula, Hungary.
³ Institute of Psychology, Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Budapest, Hungary.
⁴ Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States.
⁵ Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary.
⁶ Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary.

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to examine magical ideation and absorption traits across non-clinical and clinical groups to determine their potential adaptive and maladaptive functions. Method: We enrolled 760 healthy participants from neighboring communities (female = 53.2%). Moreover, we recruited 318 patients (female = 66.5%), which included 25, 183, and 110 patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders, anxiety disorders, and mood disorders, respectively. Potentially adaptive and maladaptive sociocognitive functions were measured to determine the role of magical ideation and self-absorption in patients with psychiatric disorders. Results: The degree of magical ideation and absorption gradually increased in the following order: anxiety disorders, mood disorders, and schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Furthermore, enhanced self-absorption-related enhanced consciousness traits were essential indicators of the presence of self-integration weakness in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Conclusion: Magical ideation and psychological absorption may be considered as mental model construction functions, which result in both gains and handicaps in social adaptation.

Keywords: absorptive capability; anxiety disorders; magical thinking; mood disorders; schizophrenia spectrum disorders; self-boundaries; socio-cognitive adaptation.