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Thematic section

Listening to the Delusional Narrative: Cis-heteronormativity and the Second Person Perspective

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  • lu Ciccia
lu Ciccia
Centro de Investigaciones y Estudios de Género - Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, México.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36446/af.e1039

Published 2025-03-05

Keywords

  • Delirio,
  • Creencias,
  • Género,
  • Cis-heteronormatividad,
  • Segunda persona
  • Delusions,
  • Beliefs,
  • Gender,
  • Cis-heteronormativity,
  • Second Person
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Abstract

With the exception of some general typifications, the content of delusions is not usually approached with the depth it deserves. One of the reasons for this may be the clinical predominance that form has over delusional content, both for its description and for the development of possible treatments. The gender dimension of delusions is usually reduced to their structural implications: certain measurable and observable differences between cis-gender men and women. In the present essay my aim will be to explore the content of delusions in the framework of the symbolic scope of gender norms. Arguing for a continuum between our ordinary beliefs and delusional beliefs, I will argue that there is reason to suppose that cis-heteronormative values, which involve recognizing ourselves as either male or female, are constitutive of our experiences, including delusional ones. From the perspective of the second person I will propose to reconceptualize listening to the delusional narrative by strategically using such values to develop a shared belief space. I will characterize delirium, both in structure and content, as an indicator of possible conflicts regarding the second-person relationships that the person experiencing it has with significant others. I will argue that the clinical revaluation of the delusional content makes sense for the reciprocal recognition between the listener and the narrator of the delusional experience.

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