Examining the underlying structure of schizophrenic phenomenology: evidence for a three-process model

The present report examined the latent structure of schizophrenic phenomenology. Schizophrenic patient case histories (n = 192) were rated for positive symptoms, negative symptoms, and premorbid social adjustment and the observed covariation among these clinical features was evaluated using a model-based confirmatory factor analytic approach. Our results indicated that schizophrenic phenomenology was best characterized by three distinct underlying structures. These data provide empirical support for Strauss et al.'s (1974) three-process model, which suggests that positive symptoms, negative symptoms, and disordered premorbid personal-social relationships are three distinct classes of phenomenology possibly reflective of three relatively independent pathological processes in schizophrenia. The data are also consistent with Crow's (1980, 1985, 1987) model of schizophrenic symptomatology, differentiating social impairment from both positive and negative symptoms. The heuristic implications of these data for the development of schizophrenia are discussed and the utility of a replication of the present study is noted.