Abstraction of mind is ability to think beyond the current real, practical, observable, and concrete events. It is the power of a person to make and understand the principles or ideas. It can ponder hypothetical situations and use deductive logic. Above the age of 12 years, a man can think about abstract concepts of will like desires liberty, justice, freedom; emotions like feeling love with someone or interpreting grief as a loss; understanding like judgement on good or bad things or using symbols like ‘x’ in algebra; and perception like recognizing all round objects as ‘circle-like’.
ABNORMAL (IMPAIRED) ABSTRACTION OF MIND
When a person focuses only on literal or irrelevant details, then it is his impaired abstraction of mind. Disorders of abstract thinking refer to impairment in the ability to understand concepts, metaphors, relationships, and general principles beyond literal facts. The person becomes concrete, rigid, or illogical in reasoning.
For example, if Doctor asks: “People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.”, the person with impaired abstraction gives a concrete answer: “Glass breaks easily.”, rather saying “Don’t criticize others when you have similar faults.” Moreover, it could be difficult to understand the concept of the metaphors.
Meaning becomes over symbolic or bizarre. For example, for the same proverb, the answer could be “Glass houses are about transparency of the universe and stones are karmic weapons.” Proverb could be interpreted as cosmic or mystical unrelated idea.
The person finds difficulty in forming categories and relationships. For example, if Doctor asks: “How are apple and orange alike?”. In case of little impairment, the person would say: “Both are round only”, rather saying: “Both are fruits.” In case of over-abstraction, the person could say: “Apple is knowledge and orange is the sun — both control destiny.” In case of more severe thought disorder the answer would be bizarre: “Apple controls satellites and orange controls radiation.” Now it moves toward delusional territory.
Inability to shift concepts (rigidity of thinking) and thinking based on internal rules rather than shared meaning (autistic) are also abnormal abstraction of mind.
DISORDERS ASSOCIATED WITH ABNORMAL ABSTRACTION OF MIND
Psychotic disorders
Most classic cause of abstraction disturbance.
- Schizophrenia: concrete thinking, bizarre abstraction, private logic
- Schizoaffective disorder
- Delusional disorder
- Brief psychotic disorder
Mechanism: thought disorder and conceptual disorganization
Neurocognitive disorders (Dementia)
Progressive loss of higher cognition.
- Alzheimer's disease
- Frontotemporal dementia (very prominent abstraction deficit)
- Vascular dementia
- Lewy body dementia
Mechanism: frontal lobe dysfunction
Developmental disorders
Abstraction may never fully develop.
- Intellectual disability
- Autism spectrum disorder
- Pattern:
- Literal thinking
- Difficulty with metaphor
- Limited generalization
- Pattern:
Frontal lobe disorders
Executive function impairment: conceptual deficit.
- Traumatic brain injury
- Brain tumors (frontal)
- Stroke (frontal)
- Degenerative frontal syndromes
Typical feature: rigidity and poor categorization
Mood disorders (severe)
Abstraction becomes reduced due to cognitive slowing.
- Major depressive disorder (severe)
- Bipolar disorder (mania: over-abstract / idiosyncratic)
Obsessive and personality disorders
Not primary deficit but rigidity affects abstraction.
- Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD): rigid thinking
- Schizotypal personality disorder: odd symbolic abstraction
Neurological diseases
- Parkinson’s disease
- Huntington’s disease
- Multiple sclerosis
- Epilepsy (chronic)
Mechanism: executive dysfunction
GROUPING OF DISORDERS ACCORDING TO THE PATTERN OF ABNORMAL ABSTRACTION OF MIND
There is either Over-abstraction or Under-abstraction associated with different patterns of abnormalities in abstraction of mind.
A. Concrete thinking (Mild impairment)
- Dementia
- Intellectual disability
- Autism
B. Over-abstraction (Moderate impairment)
- Schizophrenia
- Schizotypal
- Mania
C. Rigidity (Severe impairment)
- OCD
- Frontal lesions
D. Bizarre abstraction (Psychotic pattern)
- Schizophrenia
E. Progressive loss (Under-abstraction – Dementia pattern)
- Neurodegenerative disease
- Alzheimer’s disease
ABSTRACTION TESTS COMMONLY USED
- Questions on Similarities (WAIS-type)
Question: “What is the similarity between table and chair?”
Normal to mild impairment: “both are furniture”
Moderate: “you sit on both” or “they’re made of wood”
Severe: “I had a blue chair once” or no answer
- Questions on Proverbs
Question: “What do you mean about A rolling stone gathers no moss?”
Mild to moderate, overly concrete: “A rolling stone gathers no moss” to “stones get dirty”
Moderate to severe, personal or literal: “My husband used to say that about me” or “I don’t know”
- Question on concept
Question: “What should you do if you find a sealed envelope on the street with an address and stamp?”
Normal to mild impairment: “Mail it / put it in a mailbox”
Moderate+: “Open it,” “Throw it away,” “Give it to a child,” etc. (loss of social/moral abstraction)
HOMOEOPATHIC MEDICINES FOR ABNORMAL ABSTRACTION
KENT’S REPERTORY: Alum., aml-n., camph., cann-i., carb-ac., caust., cic., con., cycl., elaps., guai., hell., hyos., kreos., laur., lyc., lyss., mez., nat-m., Nux-m., oena., onos., op., ph-ac., Phos., plat., sabad., sec., sil., stram., sulph., vesp., visc.
