Shilko N.S. Features of Emotional Response to the Images of Imagination, Fantasies, Dreams, and Hallucinations in Patients with Mental Disorders

Imagination, fantasies, dreams, and hallucinations are distinct mental processes that involve the manipulation of images, which may depict realistic or imaginary objects and situations. Mentally healthy individuals can differentiate between these processes, but this ability diminishes during mental disorders. Exploring the experiential aspects of these processes may hold diagnostic potential. This study aimed to identify differences in the emotional tone of these images among patients with psychotic and non-psychotic disorders, compared to mentally healthy individuals. 

Methods: The study included participants aged 16 to 29 years: patients with psychotic disorders (n = 54), those with non-psychotic mental disorders (n = 50), and mentally healthy individuals (n = 63). A structured interview and a drawing method (illustrating a corresponding image) were utilized. 

Results: Findings indicated that patients with psychotic disorders more frequently experience negative emotions toward imagined images than those with non-psychotic disorders and healthy individuals. Participants in both clinical groups reported negative dream experiences significantly more often than healthy respondents. They also used significantly fewer colors when depicting images of imagination and fantasy than those in the control group. These identified characteristics may serve as additional diagnostic criteria for mental disorders.

Conclusions: Patients with psychotic disorders predominantly experience negative emotions related to imagination, while patients with non-psychotic disorders, like healthy individuals, tend to experience predominantly positive emotions. The results obtained can be used in clinical practice to develop a methodology for the early diagnosis of mental disorders.

Key words: imagination, fantasy, dream, hallucination, emotional experience, mental disorders

For citation: Shilko, N.S. (2025). Features of Emotional Response to the Images of Imagination, Fantasies, Dreams, and Hallucinations in Patients with Mental Disorders. New Psychological Research, No. 1, 189–205. DOI: 10.51217/npsyresearch_2025_05_01_08