Read the passage and answer the following questions:
Sarita is a 45 years old housewife. Her husband observed that Sarita's behaviour has changed in the past few months, as she seems to be constantly worried, is suspicious of others and very cautious of going out or even eating the food made by their maid. When asked, Sarita claimed that she hears someone is plotting against her and she may be attacked by others around her including her family members. She also complains of hearing voices of her family members and even strangers who speak ill of her. Sarita firmly believes that 'everyone should be nice to her as she is nice to everyone'. These experiences trouble her mentally, resulting into Alogia, social withdrawal, blunt affect and avolition.
The symptoms of avolition, blunt affect, alogia etc. are included in -
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Negative Symptoms
The symptoms of schizophrenia fall into three categories: positive, negative and psychomotor.
Option (1) Positive Symptoms — Incorrect. Positive symptoms are ‘pathological excesses’ or ‘bizarre additions’ to behaviour: delusions, disorganised thinking and speech, hallucinations and inappropriate affect. Avolition, blunt affect and alogia take something away instead of adding it.
Option (2) Negative Symptoms — Correct. Negative symptoms are ‘pathological deficits’: poverty of speech (alogia), blunted and flat affect, loss of volition (avolition) and social withdrawal. Every symptom named in the question is a loss of a normal function.
Option (3) Psychomotor Symptoms — Incorrect. Psychomotor symptoms concern movement: the person moves less spontaneously or makes odd grimaces and gestures, and in extreme form shows catatonia.
Option (4) Formal thought disorders — Incorrect. Formal thought disorders are disturbances of thinking and speech, such as derailment, neologisms and perseveration, which make communication extremely difficult. They are part of the positive symptoms, not deficits like avolition.
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.…” “…People with schizophrenia may not be able to think logically and may speak in peculiar ways. These formal thought disorders can make communication extremely difficult.…” “…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. Also patients with schizophrenia experience avolition, or apathy and an inability to start or complete a course of action.…” “…People with schizophrenia also show psychomotor symptoms. They move less spontaneously or make odd grimaces and gestures.…” |