Gil Caroz on Psychosis v. Neurosis.
From the text, The Degree Zero of Madness, by Gil Caroz:
The psychotic, however, distinguishes himself in that he recognizes the foreign presence of this Other who speaks through him, who occasionally speaks to him and intrudes. In contrast, the neurotic ignores the fact that the Other speaks within him, he maintains the illusion that it is he who speaks, that is, unless he recognizes the unconscious.
This is a wonderfully succinct way of describing the difference between psychosis and neurosis for clinical differential diagnosis.
- The psychotic feels the "foreign presence" of the Other within them, taking control and speaking for them. The psychotic experiences the lack of control that is the unconscious... Be that as it may, I think the psychotic will misrecognize the Other (i.e., unconscious) when it manifests. Maybe they call it a daemon, aliens, or quantum echos.
- The neurotic "maintains the illusion that it is he who speaks" rather than recognizing the Other (i.e., the unconscious) speaking through them. The neurotic maintains the fantasy that they are in control and that they can outflank the Other (i.e., the unconscious).