Verbal auditory hallucinations: mind, self, and society.

Verbal auditory hallucinations of schizophrenic patients are usually sensed as coming from m-ltiple voices. The voices are usually not recognized by patients; they are anonymous. They are expressed mainly in the second person (as if directed to the patient by others), occasionally in the third person (as if two or more persons are overheard talking about the patient), very rarely in the first person. They are sensed as separate from the self and out of the patient's control. All of these characteristics can be said to describe how a person generalizes from his social experiences a societal evaluation of himself. In addition, the voices of schizophrenic patients are predominantly disparaging, call approbrious names, or are accusatory. Schizophrenics tend to come from and be of low socioeconomic status. The hallucinations appear to be related to the schizophrenic's sense of society's disparagement of him because of his low socioeconomic status and achievement.