ABSTRACT
Schizotypy is traditionally a multidimensional personality trait that confers the liability to develop psychotic-spectrum disorders. Most schizotypy researchers would agree that, at minimum, the multidimensional structure of the trait includes a triad of dimensions, encompassing a cognitive-perceptual dimension, an interpersonal-affective dimension and a disorganisation dimension. This chapter argues the schizotypy construct can play a critical role in furthering a developmental understanding of psychotic disorders. The neurodevelopmental hypothesis of schizophrenia is currently the dominant developmental approach to understanding the emergence of psychotic disorders. The recent research shown how endophenotypes typically linked to schizophrenia also correlate with schizotypy in sub-clinical samples. The chapter appears a developmental approach to schizotypy would be relevant to the study of distal risk factors for the emergence of psychotic disorders. It surveys some of the evidence supporting the predictive value of disorganisation schizotypy, while, perhaps more importantly, suggesting potent developmental interactions on the pathway towards need for clinical care.
