Paranoia

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[[File:NYC Protestor.jpg|thumb|right|165px|Paranoid protester in [[New York City]]]]
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{{Cquote|[[They|'They']] have invented something which doesn't exist — a real imagined disease and I know that they are trying to catch me out so that I can be locked inside an institution. But they won't catch me out because they do not know who I am today. And if I am not the same person as I was yesterday then they can't make it stick. They need a body, not just a mind to prefer charges, so my advice to all paranoiacs is to keep on the move. If you are a different person every day, no administration can keep up with you. If we all adopted this approach to life, society would be delightfully [[chaos|unmanageable]] but exquisitely euphoric, for it would release in all of us the imprisoned [[soul]]s of our secret lives.|20px|20px|Ralph Steadman<ref>''Paranoids'' by Ralph Steadman (1986) Harrap. ISBN 0245544712.</ref>{{rp|104}}}}
{{Cquote|Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't after you|||Capt. John Yossarian|1970 film version of "[[Catch-22]]", screenplay by Buck Henry}}
'''Paranoia''' is a thought process characterized by excessive fear or anxiety, characteristically to the point where it would be considered irrational or delusional. Paranoid thinking typically includes [[Persecution complex|persecutory beliefs]] concerning an obsession with a perceived threat.

==Origin of the word "paranoia"==
The word 'paranoia' originates from the Greek "παράνοια" meaning madness: παρα ("para") = beside, beyond; νόος ("noos") = mind.

==Clinical indicators==
Historically, this word was used to describe any [[delusion]]al state of mind. In recent times, the term is used clinically to describe delusions wherein the affected person believes they are being persecuted. Specifically, it is defined as involving two central elements:
*The affected thinks that harm is occurring, or is going to occur, to them.
*The affected thinks that the perceived persecutor has the intention to cause harm.

[[Personality disorder#Paranoid Personality Disorder|Paranoid Personality Disorder]] is defined in the American Psychiatric Association's [[DSM-5]], primarily based upon a person having "a pervasive distrust and suspiciousness of others such that their motives are interpreted as malevolent."<ref>''DSM-5'' (2013) American Psychiatric Association. ISBN 9780890425541.</ref>{{rp|649}}

The World Health Organization's ICD-10<ref>Paranoid personality disorder — International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems 10<sup>th</sup> Revision (ICD-10)</ref> defines paranoid personality disorder as:<ref>[https://icd.who.int/browse10/2019/en#/F60.0 F60.0 Paranoid personality disorder] ''ICD-10 Version:2019''.</ref>
{{cquote|Personality disorder characterized by excessive sensitivity to setbacks, unforgiveness of insults; suspiciousness and a tendency to distort experience by misconstruing the neutral or friendly actions of others as hostile or contemptuous; recurrent suspicions, without justification, regarding the [[sexual]] fidelity of the spouse or sexual partner; and a combative and tenacious sense of personal rights. There may be excessive self-importance, and there is often excessive self-reference.}}

Paranoia is often a symptom of a psychotic illness (mainly [[schizophrenia]]), although attenuated features may be present in other non-psychotic diagnoses, such as paranoid personality disorder. Paranoia can also be a side effect of medication or [[Drug|recreational drugs]].

==In politics==
[[File:Das jüdische Komplott Parole der Woche December 1941 crop.jpg|thumb|right|405px|[[Nazi]] German propaganda: "'''''Das jüdische Komplott''''' ("The Jewish Conspiracy").]]
In 1963, [[Richard Hofstadter]] gave a lecture titled "The Paranoid Style in American Politics", which was subsequently expanded and published in ''Harper's Magazine'' in 1964,<ref>[https://harpers.org/archive/1964/11/the-paranoid-style-in-american-politics/ The Paranoid Style in American Politics] by Richard Hofstadter (November 1964) ''Harper's Magazine''.</ref> and reprinted in a collection of essays in 1965.<ref name=hofstadter>"The Paranoid Style in American Politics" (1965) In: ''The Paranoid Style in American Politics and Other Essays'' by Richard Hofstadter. Alfred A. Knopf. Pages 3-40.</ref> Hofstadter defines the political paranoiac as someone with a sub-clinical form of paranoia who nonetheless shares the traits of being:<ref name=hofstadter/>{{rp|4}}
{{cquote|overheated, oversuspicious, overaggressive, grandiose, and apocalyptic in expression, the clinical paranoid sees the hostile and conspiratorial world in which he feels himself to be living as directed specifically ''against him''; whereas the spokesman of the paranoid style finds it directed against a [[nation]], a culture, a way of life whose fate affects not himself alone but millions of others.}}
Hofstadter claimed that the paranoid style was only associated with minority movements within the [[United States]], probably because as a historian of [[American]] [[history]], he was naturally looking backwards.<ref name=hofstadter/>{{rp|7}} He did not foresee the paranoia of the [[Richard Nixon]] (who won the 1972 Presidential Election with 61% of the popular vote) and [[Donald Trump]] (who lost the popular vote in 2016 but won the Electoral College vote) presidencies. On the other hand, Hofstadter stated that paranoia is a common ingredient in [[fascism]], referring specifically to [[Nazi Germany|Nazism in Germany]] (through the [[international Jewish conspiracy]]),<ref name=hofstadter/>{{rp|7}} and Nazism was popular among Germans. The subsequent [[Holocaust]] was the culmination of [[Hitler]]'s paranoia, the worst act of [[genocide]] in history, only rivaled by the [[Holodomor]].

Hofstadter argued that the paranoid style is primarily expressed through all-embracing [[conspiracy theory|conspiracy theories]], such as the "[[Jesuits]] or [[Freemasons]], international capitalists, [[International Jewish conspiracy|international Jews]], or [[Communists]]".<ref name=hofstadter/>{{rp|6}}

Significant paranoid American political movements that Hofstadter identified were [[McCarthyism]] and the [[John Birch Society]].<ref name=hofstadter/>

Hofstadter also noted a curious behavior ("a fundamental [[paradox]]") of paranoid political groups: imitation of perceived or real characteristics of their enemies.<ref name=hofstadter/>{{rp|32-34}} For example:
*The [[Ku Klux Klan]] in their [[anti-Catholicism]] imitating the [[Catholic]] priestly robes, elaborate rituals, and hierarchy<ref name=hofstadter/>{{rp|32-33}}
*The John Birch Society in their anti-communism imitating communist cells and [[front group]]s<ref name=hofstadter/>{{rp|33}}

===Joseph Stalin===
{{main|Joseph Stalin}}
Stalin's purge trials are briefly mentioned by Hofstadter,<ref name=hofstadter/>{{rp|6}} but the full extent of the "Great Purge" was not fully known until much later when the [[Soviet]] archives were opened to outside researchers starting in 1991. Best estimates for the number of people purged range from 950,000 to 1.2 million deaths; this did not include people sent to Gulags who survived.<ref>[https://sovietinfo.tripod.com/ELM-Repression_Statistics.pdf Soviet Repression Statistics: Some Comments] by Michael Ellman (2002) ''Europe-Asia Studies'' 54(7):151–1172. doi:0.1080/0966813022000017177.</ref> Regardless, it's arguably the one of largest known act of political paranoia in history, along with Stalin's intentional starvation of [[Ukraine|Ukrainians]] in the Holodomor.

===Richard Nixon===
[[File:President Richard Nixon on the Telephone at the Oval Office Desk.jpg|thumb|right|350px|[[Abraham Lincoln]] is watching him...]]
{{main|Richard Nixon}}
Nixon's paranoia is not mentioned by Hofstadter, probably because its full extent was not known until the [[Watergate scandal]] when Nixon's White House tape recordings began to be made public. There were indications of his paranoia before then, though, with his association with [[McCarthyism]], and with his sore-loserism following his 1962 election loss Pat Brown in the [[California]] governor's race when he attacked the press as [[bias]]ed, "You don't have Nixon to kick around any more".<ref>[https://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=1578 Last (and first) things] by Mark Liberman (July 15, 2009) ''Language Log''.</ref>

During Nixon's presidency, he kept an 'enemies list' of people whom he did not like or whom he thought were out to get him. The list started with 20 people, but was gradually expanded to include dozens of people and organizations. The list was maintained by White House chief counsel [[Charles Colson]].<ref>{{wpa|Master list of Nixon's political opponents}}</ref> Given what a rotter Nixon was,<ref name=glaister>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/dec/03/richard-nixon-tapes Recordings reveal Richard Nixon's paranoia: Recordings show Nixon urged staff to use all means to discredit his political opponents, both large and small] by Dan Glaister (3 Dec 2008 14.13 EST) ''The Guardian''.</ref> many of the people on the list actually were honored to be on it.<ref>[https://thehill.com/capital-living/20243-journalist-recalls-the-honor-of-being-on-nixons-enemies-list Journalist recalls the honor of being on Nixon’s Enemies List] by Jordy Yager (01/06/09 04:52 PM EST) ''The Hill''.</ref> The Nixon administration was also known as being extremely secretive,<ref name=glaister/> which would go hand-in-hand with paranoia.

Nixon held a lot of conspiracy theories about people whom he thought were out to get him.<ref name=hughes>[https://millercenter.org/the-presidency/educational-resources/a-rough-guide-to-richard-nixon-s-conspiracy-theories#Counting_Jews_at_BLS A Rough Guide to Richard Nixon's Conspiracy Theories] by Ken Hughes (c. 2018) ''Miller Center, University of Virginia''.</ref> The one that pops up most frequently in the transcripts is his belief that Jews were out to get him,<ref name=hughes/><ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/daily/oct99/nixon6.htm New Tapes Reveal Depth of Nixon's Anti-Semitism] by George Lardner Jr. & Michael Dobbs (October 6, 1999) ''The Washington Post''.</ref><ref>[https://millercenter.org/the-presidency/educational-resources/nixon-the-jews-are-born-spies Nixon:"The Jews Are Born Spies"] (Jul 05, 1971) 'Miller Center, University of Virginia''.</ref><ref>{{wpa|Nixon Jew count}}</ref> this despite having Jews in the White House staff, most prominently Secretary of State [[Henry Kissinger]].

Nixon's paranoia primarily focused on [[Jews]], intellectuals, and the Ivy League graduates, with the common paranoid element that they are "arrogant and put themselves above the law".<ref name=hughes2>[https://historynewsnetwork.org/article/41698 How Paranoid Was Nixon?] by Kenneth J. Hughes, Jr. (2007) ''History News Network, The George Washington University''.</ref> Nixon imitated his views of them by his own arrogance ("…but when the President does it, that means it is not illegal…"<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMt8qCl5fPk Nixon says, "…but when the President does it, that means it is not illegal…"] 1977 David Frost interview of Nixon (Mar 5, 2017) ''YouTube''.</ref>) and by his ordering crimes be committed in the [[Watergate scandal]].<ref name=hughes2/>

Sample paranoid ideation by Nixon:
{{cquote|The press is the enemy. The press is the enemy. The establishment is the enemy. The professors are the enemy. Professors are the enemy. Write that on the blackboard a hundred times and never forget it.<ref name=glaister/><ref name=brinkley>''The Nixon Tapes: 1971-1972'', edited by Douglas Brinkley & Luke Nichter (2014) Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 0544274156.</ref>{{rp|703}}}}

Sample antisemitism by Nixon:
{{cquote|Now, ''Life'' is totally dominated by the Jews. ''Newsweek'' is totally, is owned by Jews, and dominated by them, their editorials. ''[[The New York Times]]'', ''[[The Washington Post]]'', are totally Jewish.<ref name=brinkley/>{{rp|359}}}}

===Donald Trump===
{{main|Donald Trump}}
Trump promoted a wide range of conspiracy theories (e.g., [[Obama citizenship denial]], [[Vince Foster]], [[Jeffrey Epstein]], [[hydroxychloroquine]]).<ref>[https://www.factcheck.org/2020/10/trumps-long-history-with-conspiracy-theories/ Trump’s Long History With Conspiracy Theories] by Angelo Fichera & Saranac Hale Spencer (October 20, 2020) ''Factcheck.org''.</ref> A [[unified conspiracy theory]] ([[QAnon]]) was also developed to promote Trump.

The crescendo of Trump's paranoia was the [[2021 U.S. Capitol riot]] that was fueled by QAnon, and by his self-created "Stop the Steal" conspiracy theory that claimed that he actually won the [[2020 U.S. presidential election]].<ref>[https://www.iiss.org/blogs/survival-blog/2021/01/trump-politics-of-paranoia Trump and the politics of paranoia] by Benjamin Rhode (7<sup>th</sup> January 2021) ''International Institute for Strategic Studies''.</ref><ref>[https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-shared-psychosis-of-donald-trump-and-his-loyalists/# The ‘Shared Psychosis’ of Donald Trump and His Loyalists: Forensic psychiatrist Bandy X. Lee explains the outgoing president’s pathological appeal and how to wean people from it] by Tanya Lewis on (January 11, 2021) ''Scientific American''.</ref> Trump's paranoiac manifestations of sore-loserism were far worse than those of Nixon in that by fomenting insurrection, Trump threatened the very existence of [[democracy]] in the United States.

==Pronoia==
[[File:Healthy in Paranoid Times (17056974786).jpg|thumb|right|165px|Don't look behind you.]]
"Pronoia" was coined by Fred H. Goldner of Queens College describing a phenomenon opposite to paranoia.<ref>"Pronoia" by Fred H. Goldner (1982) ''Social Problems'' 30(1):82–91. doi:10.2307/800186.</ref> Long before the term was coined, J.D. Salinger referred to the concept in his 1955 novella ''Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters''.<ref>''Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters'' by J.D. Salinger (1955) Little, Brown.</ref> In it, the character Seymour Glass writes in his diary, “Oh, [[God]], if I'm anything by a clinical name, I'm a kind of paranoiac in reverse. I suspect people of plotting to make me happy." [[Science fiction]] author Philip K. Dick referred to pronoia as an antidote to paranoia in his private work, Exegesis, in which it is mentioned in relation to his perceived protection by an entity he called V.A.L.I.S. (Vast Active Living Intelligence System); an [[Ancient astronauts|ancient alien]] satellite that he believed was the [[God|biblical god]].<ref>''The Exegesis Of Philip K. Dick'', edited by Pamela Jackson & Jonathan Lethem (2011) Mariner Books. ISBN 0547549253.</ref>{{rp|568,931}}

==Narapoia==
"Narapoia" is a short story by Alan Nelson that originally appeared in ''The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction'', April 1951. In it, the protagonist says to his [[psychiatrist]], "… while I’m walking along the street, suddenly I have this feeling there is somebody just ahead of me. Somebody I’m after. Someone I’m following." He also has non-hallucinations in which a bizarre [[bird]] creature he dreams about is real and sitting on top of his radio when he wakes up. Finally, all this sends his psychiatrist round the bend, which suggests that the protagonist was really a [[Scientologist]] in deep cover.<ref>[http://katie.rivard.org/woodv/narapoia.shtml Narapoia] by Alan Nelson (April 1951) ''The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction'' 2(2):114-118.</ref>

==Informal definitions==
:"Paranoia is the delusion that your enemies are organized." — William S. Burroughs
:"Paranoia is awareness." — [[Charles Manson]]

==See also==
{{collist|2|
*[[Conspiracy theory]]
*[[Fear, uncertainty, and doubt]]
*[[Bobby Fischer]]: There is a streak of mental illness in aging grandmasters. Bobby Fischer got in trouble for competing in a tournament with a U.S. embargoed country. He concluded that the Jews were behind it, despite being Jewish himself.
*[[Harwoods and Harebreaks]]
*[[Lyndon LaRouche]]: LaRouche is actually the author of such essays as ''Now, Do You Sleep with One Eye Open?'' (1978)<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/19980524073612/https://larouchepub.com/major_writings.html LaRouche's Major Writings] ''Executive Intelligence Review'' (archived from May 24, 1998).</ref> and ''The Night They Came to Kill Me'' (2004).<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20181121185200/https://archive.schillerinstitute.com/lar_related/2004/jan-march/kill_me.html The Night They Came to Kill Me] by Lyndon H. LaRouche, Jr. (2004) ''The [[Schiller Institute]]'' (archived from November 21, 2018).</ref>
*[[Persecution complex]]
*[[Richard Nixon]]: "Fucking Jew-bastards everywhere!"
}}
{{Fun}}
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==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

[[Category:Mental health]]
[[Category:Psychology]]

Categories: Mental health, Psychology