Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 12, 2026

Brain Morphology of Cannabis Users With or Without Psychosis: A Pilot MRI Study
Published on: August 18, 2020
Insight in psychosis: influence of cognitive ability and self-esteem
Michael A Cooke1, Emmanuelle R Peters, Kathryn E Greenwood
1King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Department of Psychology (PO77), 16 De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AF, UK.
Background:
Insight in psychosis has previously been associated with both depression and cognitive ability. Some studies have found a curvilinear relationship between insight and cognitive ability, but the roles of self-esteem and depression have not been taken into account.
Aims:
To investigate the relationships between insight and IQ, depression, and self-esteem.
Method:
Correlations between self-reported and observer-rated insight, and measures of IQ, depression and self-esteem were examined in 67 people with psychosis.
Results:
Better self-reported insight was associated with higher IQ and poorer self-esteem, but not depression. There was some evidence for a curvilinear relationship between IQ and self-reported insight, specifically the ;awareness of illness' dimension, which survived correction for symptom variables.
Conclusions:
The relationship between insight and IQ might reflect both the basis of insight in intellectual ability and the influence of a psychological mechanism that preserves self-esteem.
Related Concept Videos
Introspection
Social Cognitive Perspective on Personality
Psychological and Sociocultural Causes of Schizophrenia
Sources of Self-Esteem III: Social Comparison
Self-Presentation: Self-Monitoring and Self-Handicapping
Self-Evaluation: Self-Enhancement and Self-Verification

