Paranoid personality type: characteristics, diagnosis, treatment

All life is a struggle, In it women, men are all enemies.

They have their own methods, techniques, and each one brings pain.

Navigation for the article “Paranoid personality type: I look at the world through an optical sight”:

• Paranoid personality type: inner world and formation
• Paranoid personality type: relationships with others

A person of the paranoid type is accustomed to transferring his own negative aspects outside, and then fighting them as external threats.

Paranoid personality type , as well as other types, can be very pronounced when it comes to clinical paranoia, which has developed into a psychiatric diagnosis. Or expressed within normal limits, then we are talking about the type of character of a person who is prone to suspicion, prone to fear and preferring to “strike first before others strike.”

People with the normal level of paranoid type often achieve political roles that involve a tendency to “be against” what they consider to be evil.

A person appears paranoid when being followed or followed. For example, members of a sect that he left, or a hostile relative, or a rejected lover.

A paranoid person is more likely than others to find himself in situations of persecution or threats. Because the repulsive qualities of a paranoid personality type - distrust, suspicion, hostility - become magnets for trouble.

This is the tenth time my husband has repaired his car. The insurance company hates him. If he is cut off on the road, or overtaken incorrectly, or some other mistake is made, he does not allow it to be done. He will set up the car and then sue the insurance company for repairs. He knows his rights and traffic rules very well...

From a wife's story about her paranoid husband

Paranoid personality type: inner world and formation

Children who grow up paranoid suffer from attacks on their sense of self-efficacy. Feeling broken, “armless” or “brainless” due to criticism and groundless punishments.

Adults raise a future paranoid person, trying to harshly educate, “toughen” the child, achieving humility.

A paranoid adult can also pass on his attitudes to a child. The parent states that only family can be trusted, although the school turns out to be kinder and more supportive than the family. The source of development of the paranoid personality type in this case is the constant anxiety of the adult.

If the mother does not accept the child’s fears and anxieties and is unable to console her, since she herself needs consolation, then the child learns to dissociate the anxiety so as not to feel it. At the same time, anxiety does not disappear anywhere, but seeks a way out. Then the situation “I tripped over a chair” turns into “the chair hit me, bad chair!” The habit of such an interpretation of events gives rise to a paranoid personality type that lives in fear of harm from others and vigilantly monitors interactions with people.

The daughter talks about problems at school - the girls are not friends, the boys do not pay attention. The mother denies her daughter’s problems, or gets scared and says that the girl “is to blame.” Instead of support and consolation, the girl receives accusations. Bitterness, resentment and anger are not acknowledged. Then the psyche brings in the idea that other “enemies want to harm me.” Thus, the situation “I am angry at others” becomes “others are angry at me.”

The “enemies all around” attitude is very tenacious. If you constantly think that others are angry and want to harm, then the manifestation of indifference is interpreted in favor of this attitude.

When I told my mother about my uncle’s sexual harassment, she managed to simultaneously deny it, say “it seemed like it,” and accuse me of seduction.

From a therapeutic conversation

This is how ideas appear - “a corrupt government”, “a conspiracy against me”, “banks are trying to profit from citizens”, “everyone wants to steal my money”, “everywhere is unsafe because of Islamists”, “there is an urgent terrorist threat”, etc. and in the pathological version, “Romanian homosexual agents poisoned my water.”

Essentially, paranoia is the experience of internal content as external to oneself. Moreover, it is difficult to understand what internal experience has turned into an external one.

In the example “Romanian homosexual agents poisoned the water,” the male patient had a same-sex sexual attraction that was terrifying. Then the psyche turned “I like men” into “gay men like me” - which also caused mixed feelings - horror, disgust, guilt, aggression. Then the next transformation was “gay men want to hurt me.” This then evolved into the final statement about Romanian homosexual agents poisoning the water.

In normal paranoid people, beliefs about the dangers of certain people or organizations - terrorists, the media, the government, racists, homophobes, environmental disaster - may be well-founded and real, but there is a certain rigidity and obsession in their concerns.

Recognizing the possibility that a person is attributing something to others that they do not deserve or are not, at least in part, is a big step in recognizing the tendency towards paranoia.

• You and I were at the same event, and I was afraid of the presenter, because I thought that you would think that I was stupid.
• Let me think, maybe I’m really being critical of something?
• Yes, at least sometimes it will be my stupid paranoia!

Dialogue from a therapeutic conversation

Acknowledging paranoia and self-irony helps to cope with the accompanying fear and suffering. Jokes are a reliable way to defuse aggression in a safe way.

A paranoid person with a normal personality type is effective in work related to security, where it is necessary to foresee all possible threats; in supervisory roles - at customs, in the police; also in the struggle against authority or oppositional politics; in litigation and legal assistance to victims of harassment; in trade union activities.

Paranoid Self

The paranoid client despises his own humiliated personality. He has a high degree of fear, which leads to the fact that he constantly “monitors those around him,” observes their reactions, “keeps his finger on the pulse.” Paranoids believe that they are the target of everyone around them, that people think and talk only about them.

It is also important to note that paranoids have a high sense of guilt.

Statistically, a connection has been found between thoughts about homosexuality and paranoid personalities, this has been confirmed by some studies.

Paranoids can fight against existing authorities. Revenge and triumph provide a temporary and shallow sense of security and moral clarity.

Paranoid personality type: relationships with others

Fear accompanies a paranoid person, forcing them to spend a lot of energy scanning for possible threats. People with a paranoid personality fear ill will and harm from others.

In addition, they may be filled with resentment, envy, anger, resentment, vindictiveness and other hostile feelings that they see not in themselves, but in others. Thus, a paranoid person poses a greater danger to others than to himself. Because it defends itself by attacking in advance, before “others attack.”

Researchers of Nazism find its origins in the same phenomena that occurred in the childhood of paranoid people. The crushing defeat of Germany in the First World War and the draconian terms of the Treaty of Versailles are similar to the experience of humiliation, ineffectiveness and mediocrity as a child who becomes paranoid. Isolation from the international community means that a child does not have an adult nearby who can comfort him. Which laid the foundation for the appeal of a paranoid leader and the mass paranoia that Nazism is recognized for.

A paranoid person initially does not trust other people; it takes a long time to gain his trust. When trust is achieved, the paranoid person remains faithful to his choice for a long time.

A paranoid person gladly cooperates with others to fight something - “befriends against.” The paranoid's friends are his comrades.

Often close people try to carry out “explanatory work” with a paranoid person about the unrealisticness or exaggeration of external threats. These conversations provoke irritation or conflict and further convince the paranoid person that he is right. The powerlessness to reassure a suspicious person becomes a barrier to a trusting relationship with him.

I call my father a “minus”. In any topic he will find “cons” - negative and threatening aspects. If you took out a mortgage, you’ll be left without pants; if you want to return the tax deduction, you’ll be deceived; if you keep money on a card, they’ll steal it; if you bought vitamins for your child, it’s fake; if you go on vacation by car, they’ll hit you in the head; your car will be stolen. I understand that he cares about me so much, but our conversation is always a meaningless argument.

From a personal conversation

You should not challenge the beliefs of a paranoid person. He is acutely sensitive to other people's emotional reactions. Calm endurance and acceptance of his right to such beliefs help build respectful relationships. It happens that nothing changes in words, but by actions it becomes clear that the paranoid person appreciates and is grateful for restraint and respect.

For the paranoid, as well as for the obsessive-compulsive personality type, it is important to distinguish between thought and action. You can think any thought, no matter how perverted, terrible or sinful it may be. This does not mean that a person who thinks “bad thoughts” will necessarily behave badly.

The ability to accept and even feel pleasure from envy, greed, lust or aggression without externalizing it reduces the fear of these experiences. Black thoughts are just a creative product of human nature. Feelings and thoughts do not uniquely dictate human behavior. He can be offended and envious, but not “put a spoke in the wheel” because of envy and resentment.

So, we have identified the following characteristics of a person with a paranoid personality type, and suggested ways to integrate them into life:

• A person of the paranoid type is accustomed to transferring his own negative aspects outside, and then fighting them as external threats. Recognizing your own hostility, aggressiveness and fear will be a major step towards recognizing your tendency towards paranoia.
• The paranoid personality is formed as a result of a strict and critical upbringing that requires humility. Also, the presence of an adult who cannot console and help cope with difficult feelings, and who himself needs consolation, is the basis for cultivating a paranoid personality type. The ability to accept difficult feelings and console a child will “prevent” paranoia.
• Acknowledging paranoia and self-irony helps to cope with the accompanying fear and suffering. Jokes are a reliable way to defuse aggression in a safe way.
• You should not challenge the beliefs of a paranoid person. Calm endurance and acceptance of the right to such beliefs help build respectful relationships.
• The ability to accept difficult feelings - envy, anger, aggression, vindictiveness, lust, and enjoy your human nature - helps you avoid projecting these feelings onto other people.

Therapeutic recommendations when diagnosing paranoia

The first requirement is the establishment of a stable working alliance with the psychologist. This is necessary to build trust, which will make it possible to build effective interaction.

If the paranoid client trusts the psychologist, then the work can be considered completed.

The main task for the specialist will be to increase the paranoid person’s access to the client’s inner world.

Jokes within reason can safely defuse aggression. They may relate to those topics within which the work is being carried out at a given time. For example, to a client who is overly worried about how he will look on a date, you can say something like this: “If you think that you will be examined under a microscope, take blood and urine tests, then rest assured that your your partner is also worried.” This, of course, is only possible after basic trust has been built in a psychological session.

If paranoids feel that their opinions are valued, they will become more open. You can find a way to demonstrate this to them. In addition, it is important to give the opportunity to talk.

Together with a psychologist, explore what led to such reactions. This stimulates separation, which will eliminate carryover.

It is important to teach paranoid clients to identify what triggers their paranoia. Starting from observing your own body and reactions to external factors that can trigger alarming symptoms.

It is also very important with paranoids to consider other reasons besides those used by paranoid individuals. Give me the opportunity to think about it for myself. There are clients who want ready-made, and even better, quick solutions to their problems. But at the same time, they do not always understand that instead of getting a fishing rod and then independently solving pressing problems that will arise in their lives, they want to immediately get a fish.

Emphasize the differences between thoughts and actions. “Just enjoy your fantasies!” Thinking about something does not mean doing it.

A psychologist should be very careful about boundaries. This may affect the paranoid's feelings of security. May cause anxiety. Something can be done with psychological boundaries if it is possible to identify them. And their identification is realistic only after identifying oneself.

Paranoid Personality Disorder: Symptoms and Signs

People with BPD are distrustful and suspicious of others. They tend to see other people as threats and believe that they will be harmed or deceived. This disorder makes it difficult to trust other people and have close, meaningful relationships.

Some additional signs and symptoms of BPD:

• increased alertness
• sensitivity to criticism
• aggressiveness
• emotional rigidity
• need for solitude

Substance abuse is also common among people with BPD.

What is paranoid personality disorder?

A person with BPD may experience sensitivity to criticism, emotional rigidity, and hypervigilance. People with BPD have suspicious and jealous personality traits. Some doctors believe that people with BPD have traits of excessive self-esteem and hostility.

BPD can occur as a separate disorder. However, people with symptoms of BPD may have the following conditions, such as:

• schizophrenia
• schizoaffective and psychotic states of bipolar disorder
• Alzheimer's disease
• brain injury

How to get rid of paranoid thoughts?

If you find yourself prone to paranoid thoughts, you should adhere to the following recommendations:

1. Write down those thoughts and ideas that you consider paranoid in a journal. From time to time, analyze what you wrote down earlier - in this way it is easier to detect a distorted understanding of reality, because hypotheses and thoughts will stand the test of time, and, most likely, most of these assumptions and fears will not be confirmed. You can also find out exactly what events led to the development of paranoid thoughts and ideas.
2. After analyzing situations that lead to paranoid thoughts, the next step is to avoid situations that can trigger such thinking processes. If this turns out to be impossible, it is worth questioning the rationality of such ideas.

To do this, for example, you can choose the tactic of testing time - not making a decision based on impulsive, emotional impulses and prejudices, but postponing the final decision or action for some time so that there is an opportunity to test certain assumptions.

Also, when paranoid ideas arise , you should try to distract yourself from them in order to avoid cycling - one of the character traits of paranoids, in which the same conclusions and thoughts are made in a circle.

At the same time, it may seem to you that enough time was devoted to the problem, but in fact you were unable to move forward. Change your type of activity if you have obsessive thoughts and suspicions, and only then look at the initial data of the situation with a fresh look.

1. Do not judge yourself for the appearance of paranoid thoughts and ideas, do not engage in self-flagellation - because in this way you also become fixated on the same thing. It is better to listen to the advice of others about a particular situation.
2. If you tend to imagine the worst case scenario, give yourself free rein to do so, don't limit yourself. However, at the same time, do not ignore the best outcome of the situation - after all, it is just as real as a pessimistic forecast. The point of such an attitude is not to be predisposed only to a negative scenario.
3. Ask a loved one whom you trust to help you understand a particular situation that provokes the development of paranoid ideas in you. Listen to his advice and logic of thinking when doing this.

The main method to eliminate paranoid thoughts is to analyze and avoid the reasons that cause them, as well as try to ignore such manifestations.

Paranoid accentuation: recommendations

When communicating with a person with paranoid accentuation of character, you should follow the following recommendations that will help you not provoke the manifestation of his inherent negative character traits:

1. If possible, avoid situations in which you need to criticize him. If this cannot be done, then it is better to first mention his competence and past merits , and then make comments - this way the criticism will not be perceived too painfully.
2. Ask such a person to communicate with people who cause him a sharply negative reaction .
3. To impose solutions to issues that are not within the scope of his interests and hobbies, as well as routine work that is not interesting to him.

It is quite difficult to establish contact with people with paranoid accentuation of character, in which they will see in their interlocutor a person whose opinion will be significant for them , and it is quite difficult to gain their authority.

The main positive feature of individuals with paranoid accentuation of character is their determination.

When communicating with them, it is very important to keep this in mind - they favor people who respect and share their interests . If irony is expressed about their activities, this will cause an extremely negative reaction on their part.

Border violations

There are mental illnesses, the clinical manifestation of which is characteristic of paranoid personality disorder: paranoid schizophrenia and delusional disorder.

Paranoid schizophrenia is characterized by a disorder of thinking processes, expressed in an incorrect perception of the surrounding world.

A patient with this diagnosis is characterized by a state accompanied by paranoid delusions: persecution, grandeur, and sometimes other delusional ideas.

Auditory hallucinations are observed more often than tactile, olfactory and gustatory hallucinations. There are volitional and speech disorders, as well as emotional state disorders that are less pronounced. Patients with paranoid schizophrenia are prone to suicide.

Delusional disorder also refers to mental illnesses characterized by well-systematized, dominant delusions, but unlike paranoid schizophrenia, devoid of bizarreness. With this disorder, delusions of persecution, grandeur, jealousy and other forms may be observed.

Diagnosis and treatment

A qualified examination of a paranoid type personality is carried out by a psychiatrist who diagnoses and evaluates his condition. Based on observations of the patient’s behavior, the doctor can detect disturbances in perception, thinking, emotional response and other signs of the disease.

Treatment of a paranoid personality

There are two approaches to treating paranoid disorder: medication and therapy. The greatest effect is achieved by an integrated approach, with a predominance of the psychoanalytic method of treatment. Among medications, preference is given to sedatives and sedatives. They are prescribed in short courses when the patient's condition worsens. For anxiety, tranquilizers are prescribed, and for delusions, antipsychotics.

Psychotherapeutic treatment can last a long time. The difficulty is the negative attitude of paranoid patients towards doctors, and their reluctance to admit that they are sick. Often a paranoid person refuses to take medications and pours all his negative energy on the psychotherapist. The main task of the doctor is to reduce the patient’s aggression and help him reassess consciousness.

Among the areas of personal development, important aspects are highlighted:

1. trust in society;
2. communication with other people on an equal basis;
3. letting go of hypercontrol over oneself;
4. learning to care and be attentive to people.

Relatives can be of great help to the psychotherapist. When communicating with a paranoid patient, they should try to translate the approaching conflict into humor, bring positive and joyful moments into the patient’s life and not criticize him.

How to recognize a paranoid personality type among your friends and family:

♦ Category: Diseases.