Tangentiality is a symptom of disorganized thinking in which a person responds to another's statement or question with a remark that is only barely related, or entirely unrelated, to what was said or asked. For example, a person diagnosed with schizophrenia who is asked whether they are interested in receiving job training might respond by describing a time they rode on a train, since the loose word connection between training and train is enough of a link for them to make that response.

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Disorganized thinking is characterized by disjointed and incoherent thought processes. This cognitive symptom is typically identified through a person's speech, which may appear illogical, disconnected, or ramble between unrelated topics.

Disorganized Thinking

Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020, April 22). Psychology (2nd ed.). OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/1-introduction

OpenStax Psychology (2nd ed.) Textbook

Disorganized speech is a sign of disorganized thoughts characteristic in psychosis. It can take many forms, such as unintelligible rambling, going off on tangents, loose associations, making up words (neologisms), and rushed speech. 

The following video is a good example of a fairly severe case: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2vMnyTiwp4


Disorganized speech

A clinician is speaking with a patient who says, 'I need to get my prescription, but the pharmacy is painted blue. Blue is the color of the ocean, and I've always wanted to be a sailor. Sailors have to tie knots, and my shoelaces are untied.' Which cognitive symptom does this statement best illustrate?

Disorganized thinking can be exhibited through blatantly illogical remarks, in which a person draws a flawed conclusion from unrelated or invalid premises. For example, a person might reason that because Fenway Park is in Boston, and they live in Boston, they must live at Fenway Park.

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