Paranoia and Pronoia
The Visionary and the Banal
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2484411 |
|---|---|
| Authors | L J Kirmayer (0000-0002-6228-1739, McGill University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1983 |
| Volume | 31 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 170-179 |
| Publication date | 1983-12-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Social Problems (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0037-7791 • E-ISSN: 1533-8533 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.2307/800208 |
| OpenAlex | W2018967202 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 15 |
I examine pronoia, Fred Goldner's term for the delusion that others think well of one, in the light of current psychiatric nosology and psychodynamic theory. Pronoia is a form of denial that protects the fragile person's self-esteem from criticism and rejection. It can arise from persistently grandiose thinking in a narcissistic personality. Pronoid behavior can also occur in social structures where individuals are valued not for their interior feeling-life but only for their strategic roles in the larger organization. In contrast to the benevolent misperceptions of pronoia, the paranoid sees hostile forces in the world and weaves them into a satisfying conspiracy. Both pronoia and paranoia create an exaggerated sense of coherence from the chaos and confusion of the social world. Social organizations which accept individual failure and vulnerability can tolerate less of the false coherence of pronoia and paranoia, and so foster the growth of more accurate perception and more intimate interpersonal styles
Art · Cognitive psychology · Criticism · Delusion · Feeling · Mentalization · Narcissism · Paranoia · Psychiatry · Psychoanalysis · Psychodynamics · Psychotherapist · Sociology · Gambling Behavior and Treatments · Law · Mental Health and Psychiatry · Psychoanalysis and Psychopathology Research · Psychology · Psychology of Social Influence · Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications · Social Psychology
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0.38 |
| Citation span | 2018 - 2024 (7) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |