Identify the positive symptom of Schizophrenia:

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 1

The correct answer is Option (1) → Delusions

Option (1) Delusions — Correct. Positive symptoms are ‘pathological excesses’ or ‘bizarre additions’ to behaviour. A delusion, a false belief firmly held on inadequate grounds, is something added that should not be there, and it is among the positive symptoms most often found.

Option (2) Flat affect — Incorrect. It is a negative symptom (a ‘pathological deficit’): the person shows no emotions at all, something missing rather than added.

Option (3) Alogia — Incorrect. Also a negative symptom: poverty of speech, a reduction in speech and speech content.

Option (4) Avolition — Incorrect. Another negative symptom, the loss of volition: apathy and an inability to start or complete a course of action.

Note: A similar question was also asked in CUET (UG) 2023 on 15-06-2023 (Slot 3).

NCERT (2025-26): “Symptoms of Schizophrenia … The symptoms of schizophrenia can be grouped into three categories, viz. positive symptoms (i.e. excesses of thought, emotion, and behaviour), negative symptoms (i.e. deficits of thought, emotion, and behaviour), and psychomotor symptoms. Positive symptoms are ‘pathological excesses’ or ‘bizarre additions’ to a person’s behaviour. Delusions, disorganised thinking and speech, heightened perception and hallucinations, and inappropriate affect are the ones most often found in schizophrenia.…”

“…Negative symptoms are ‘pathological deficits’ and include poverty of speech, blunted and flat affect, loss of volition, and social withdrawal. People with schizophrenia show alogia or poverty of speech, i.e. a reduction in speech and speech content. Many people with schizophrenia show less anger, sadness, joy, and other feelings than most people do. Thus they have blunted affect. Some show no emotions at all, a condition known as flat affect.…”