Back to Karl Jaspers’ incomprehensibility of schizophrenia: A longitudinal approach

Abstract

Schizophrenia has remained from its conception one of psychopathology’s most debated topics. Karl Jaspers’ theorem of its “incomprehensibility” has been particularly influential, often reduced to the impossibility of empathic understanding within the clinical encounter. Contemporary critiques, however, frequently misinterpret Jaspers’ phenomenological framework, overlooking the broader scope of its thought. This paper proposes a reinterpretation of Jaspers’ incomprehensibility theorem by distinguishing three interconnected levels: (1) phenomenological, as closed to empathic understanding; (2) biographical, as a rupture in the continuity of meaning across personal development; and (3) existential, as the impossibility of grasping a person’s Existence. By revisiting these dimensions, we argue for a hermeneutic revaluation of Jaspers’ theorem, highlighting its relevance for contemporary discussions on the longitudinality of psychopathology.