No edit summary |
(→Papers) |
||
| (6 intermediate revisions by one other user not shown) | |||
| Line 8: | Line 8: | ||
In popular culture, the term '''paranoia''' is usually used to describe excessive concern about one's own well-being, sometimes suggesting a person holds [[persecution|persecutory]] beliefs concerning a threat to themselves or their property and is often linked to a belief in [[conspiracy theories]]. |
In popular culture, the term '''paranoia''' is usually used to describe excessive concern about one's own well-being, sometimes suggesting a person holds [[persecution|persecutory]] beliefs concerning a threat to themselves or their property and is often linked to a belief in [[conspiracy theories]]. |
||
| − | In [[psychiatry]], the term ''paranoia'' was used by [[Emil Kraepelin]] to describe a [[mental illness]] in which a [[delusion]]al belief is the sole, or most prominent feature. This usage is now largely obsolete and the term is more typically used in a general sense to signify any delusion, or more specifically, to signify a delusion involving the fear of persecution. The exact use of the term has changed over time, and because of this, psychiatric usage may vary. |
+ | In [[psychiatry]], the term ''[[Paranoia (psychosis)|paranoia]]'' was used by [[Emil Kraepelin]] to describe a [[mental illness]] in which a [[delusion]]al belief is the sole, or most prominent feature. This usage is now largely obsolete and the term is more typically used in a general sense to signify any delusion, or more specifically, to signify a delusion involving the fear of persecution. The exact use of the term has changed over time, and because of this, psychiatric usage may vary. |
| − | ==Use in psychiatry== |
||
| − | In his original attempt at classifying different forms of [[mental illness]], [[Emil Kraepelin]] used the term ''pure paranoia'' to describe a condition where a delusion was present, but without any apparent deterioration in intellectual abilities and without any of the other features of [[dementia praecox]], the condition later renamed [[schizophrenia]]. |
||
| − | |||
| − | In the original [[Greek language|Greek]], παράνοια (''paranoia'') means simply madness (para = outside; nous = mind). Kraeplin's developed a definition from this root involving delusional beliefs. Notably, in his definition, the belief does not have to be persecutory to be classified as paranoid, so any number of delusional beliefs can be classified as paranoia. For example, a person who has the sole delusional belief that he is an important religious figure would be classified by Kraepelin as having 'pure paranoia'. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Although the diagnosis of pure paranoia is no longer used (having been superseded by the diagnosis of [[delusional disorder]]) the use of the term to signify the presence of delusions in general, rather than persecutory delusions specifically, lives on in the classification of [[paranoid schizophrenia]], which denotes a form of schizophrenia where delusions are prominent. |
||
| − | |||
| − | More recently, the clinical use of the term has been used to describe delusions where the affected person believes they are being persecuted. Specifically, they have been defined as containing two central elements: |
||
| − | |||
| − | # The individual thinks that harm is occurring, or is going to occur, to him or her. |
||
| − | # The individual thinks that the persecutor has the intention to cause harm. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Paranoia is often associated with [[psychosis|psychotic]] illnesses, particularly schizophrenia, although attenuated features may be present in other primarily non-psychotic diagnoses, such as [[paranoid personality disorder]]. |
||
| − | |||
| − | ==Examples of clinical paranoia== |
||
| − | In the unrestricted use of the term, common paranoid delusions can include the belief that the person is being followed, poisoned or loved at a distance (often by a media figure or important person, a delusion known as [[erotomania]] or [[de Clerambault syndrome]]). |
||
| − | |||
| − | Other common paranoid delusions include the belief that the person has an imaginary disease or [[parasite|parasitic]] infection ([[delusional parasitosis]]); that the person is on a special quest or has been chosen by [[God]]; that the person has had thoughts inserted or removed from conscious thought; or that the person's actions are being [[mind control|controlled by an external force]]. |
||
| − | |||
| − | Many despotic rulers (for example [[Stalin]]) allegedly suffered from paranoia. This presents an interesting question because in Stalin's case, it is quite likely that many people really were out to get him (some theories concerning his death hypothesize that he was poisoned). Might it be that with enough enemies, it is impossible not to be clinically paranoid? It still might be possible to identify a paranoid in that situation via his unrealistic assessment of the relative threat presented by various enemies, but it is not clear that non-paranoid persons are all that good at this. This raises interesting philosophical questions about the criteria by which we can diagnose a belief as paranoid or delusional, as well as prompting the [[joke]] that "Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you". |
||
| − | |||
| − | ==Paranoia depicted in popular culture== |
||
| − | In popular culture paranoia is often represented as including: |
||
| − | |||
| − | * Belief in having special powers or being on a special mission (a "delusion of grandeur"); |
||
| − | * [[Conspiracy theory|Conspiracy theories]], such as seeing seemingly unrelated news events as parts of a larger, typically [[conspiracy|conspiratorial]] plan |
||
| − | * [[Black helicopter conspiracy theory|Black helicopters]] and other [[mass surveillance|mass surveillance]] |
||
| − | * [[Persecution complex|Persecution]] from powerful adversaries such as [[Unidentified flying object|UFO]]s, [[terrorism|terrorists]], the [[Men in Black]], [[Secret society|secret societies]] or [[demon|demons]] |
||
| − | * [[Mind control]] through invisible rays, and [[tinfoil hat]]s to combat them; |
||
| − | * Fear of poisoning, adulterated food (e.g., [[aspartame]]) or water (e.g., [[Water Fluoridation controversy|fluoridation]]) as part of a secret plot. |
||
| − | * Reading a story, watching a [[Film|movie]], or listening to a song and feeling that one's life is exactly like that of the subject of said story, movie, or song. |
||
| − | * The maxim: ''Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean that they aren't out to get you.'' |
||
==See also== |
==See also== |
||
| Line 47: | Line 15: | ||
* [[Delusional disorder]] |
* [[Delusional disorder]] |
||
* [[Distrust]] |
* [[Distrust]] |
||
| − | * [[James Tilly Matthews]] |
||
* [[Monomania]] |
* [[Monomania]] |
||
| ⚫ | |||
* [[Paranoid personality disorder]] |
* [[Paranoid personality disorder]] |
||
* [[Schizophrenia]] |
* [[Schizophrenia]] |
||
| − | * [[Paranoia (game)|Paranoia RPG]] |
||
* [[Ideas of reference]] |
* [[Ideas of reference]] |
||
| ⚫ | |||
| − | * [[Paranoia (online reality game)|Paranoia Online Game]] |
||
| − | * [[Illuminati]] |
||
| − | * [[Celtic FC]] |
||
| + | ==References & Bibliography== |
||
| − | ==Further reading== |
||
| + | <References/> |
||
| ⚫ | |||
| + | ==Key texts== |
||
| ⚫ | |||
| + | ===Books=== |
||
| ⚫ | |||
| + | * Farrell, John. ''Paranoia and Modernity: Cervantes to Rousseau'' (Cornell University Press, 2006). |
||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| + | * Harper, David J. (1999) Deconstructing Paranoia:An Analysis of the Discourses Associated with the Concept of Paranoid Delusion. |
||
| + | * Igmade (Stephan Trüby et al, eds.), 5 Codes: Architecture, Paranoia and Risk in Times of Terror", Birkhäuser 2006. ISBN 3-7643-7598-1 |
||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| + | * Siegel, Ronald K. (1994) ''Whispers: The Voices of Paranoia.'' New York: Crown. |
||
| + | ===Papers=== |
||
| + | |||
| + | ==Additional material== |
||
| + | ===Books=== |
||
| + | |||
| + | ===Papers=== |
||
| + | *[http://scholar.google.com/scholar?sourceid=mozclient&num=50&scoring=d&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&q=Paranoia Google Scholar] |
||
| + | |||
| + | * Harper, D.J. (1996). Deconstructing 'paranoia': Towards a discursive understanding of apparently unwarranted suspicion. ''[[Theory & Psychology]], 6,'' 423-448. [http://roar.uel.ac.uk/jspui/bitstream/10552/645/1/Harper%20D.J%20(1996)%20T&P%206%20(3)%20423-48.pdf Final draft] |
||
| + | |||
| + | ==External links== |
||
| + | * [http://www.criticalmethods.org/thesis0.htm Deconstructing Paranoia: An Analysis of the Discourses Associated with the Concept of Paranoid Delusion] |
||
[[Category:Psychosis]] |
[[Category:Psychosis]] |
||
[[Category:Paranoia|*]] |
[[Category:Paranoia|*]] |
||
| + | [[Category:Personality traits]] |
||
| + | <!-- |
||
[[cs:Paranoia]] |
[[cs:Paranoia]] |
||
[[de:Paranoia]] |
[[de:Paranoia]] |
||
| Line 80: | Line 64: | ||
[[fi:Paranoia]] |
[[fi:Paranoia]] |
||
[[sv:Paranoia]] |
[[sv:Paranoia]] |
||
| + | --> |
||
| − | + | {{enWP|Paranoia}} |
|
Revision as of 18:31, 15 July 2011
| ||||||||||||||||
In popular culture, the term paranoia is usually used to describe excessive concern about one's own well-being, sometimes suggesting a person holds persecutory beliefs concerning a threat to themselves or their property and is often linked to a belief in conspiracy theories.
In psychiatry, the term paranoia was used by Emil Kraepelin to describe a mental illness in which a delusional belief is the sole, or most prominent feature. This usage is now largely obsolete and the term is more typically used in a general sense to signify any delusion, or more specifically, to signify a delusion involving the fear of persecution. The exact use of the term has changed over time, and because of this, psychiatric usage may vary.
See also
- Delusion
- Delusional disorder
- Distrust
- Monomania
- Paranoia (psychosis)
- Paranoid personality disorder
- Schizophrenia
- Ideas of reference
References & Bibliography
Key texts
Books
- Farrell, John. Paranoia and Modernity: Cervantes to Rousseau (Cornell University Press, 2006).
- Freeman, D. & Garety, P.A. (2004) Paranoia: The Psychology of Persecutory Delusions. Hove: Psychology Press. ISBN 1-84169-522-X
- Harper, David J. (1999) Deconstructing Paranoia:An Analysis of the Discourses Associated with the Concept of Paranoid Delusion.
- Igmade (Stephan Trüby et al, eds.), 5 Codes: Architecture, Paranoia and Risk in Times of Terror", Birkhäuser 2006. ISBN 3-7643-7598-1
- Kantor, Martin. (2004) Understanding Paranoia: A Guide for Professionals, Families, and Sufferers. Westport: Praeger Press. ISBN 0-275-98152-5
- Munro, A. (1999) Delusional disorder. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-58180-X
- Sims, A. (2002) Symptoms in the mind: An introduction to descriptive psychopathology (3rd edition). Edinburgh: Elsevier Science Ltd. ISBN 0-7020-2627-1
- Siegel, Ronald K. (1994) Whispers: The Voices of Paranoia. New York: Crown.
Papers
Additional material
Books
Papers
- Harper, D.J. (1996). Deconstructing 'paranoia': Towards a discursive understanding of apparently unwarranted suspicion. Theory & Psychology, 6, 423-448. Final draft
External links
| This page uses Creative Commons Licensed content from Wikipedia (view authors). |