INTENTIONS, SELF-MONITORING AND ABNORMAL EXPERIENCES

Conscious awareness of intentionality is considered to be a product of specialized monitoring processes which distinguish intentional, goal- directed actions from unintentional, passive/reactive actions. When go als are not met or unfavourable conditions arise, this ability to dist inguish intentional and unintentional enables us to direct adaptive ef forts towards either changing plans and goals or towards altering the environment. The formulation is discussed in relation to monitoring th eories of consciousness and the concept of 'locus of control', and is developed to explain several common psychological disorders in terms o f dysfunctional monitoring of intentions. It is suggested that it coul d provide a theoretical basis for psychological treatment methods.