Delusions: Concept, Structure, and Clinical Boundaries

Delusions are traditionally defined as false, incorrigible beliefs that are held with certainty. This article revisits classical phenomenological accounts of delusion, particularly those of Karl Jaspers and Kurt Schneider, and argues that delusions are better understood through their structural rather than purely content-based features. By distinguishing primary from secondary delusions, we show how structural features, such as their mode of emergence, experiential givenness, and relation to subjectivity, clarify important differences between schizophrenia, delusional disorder, and affective psychoses. Understanding delusions as embedded in psychopathological Gestalts offers a more valid and clinically meaningful approach to the mental status examination in modern psychiatry.