The paranoid personality type

The paranoid personality type

Anxious, distrustful, frightening components in their worldview and in their overvalued ideas-desires. Society is seen as an unsafe structure, one that often contains inner, hidden “conspiracies” and “riddles” that it is important to solve. A hostile, distrustful attitude towards society in general and towards the authorities in particular. A ban on realising their ideas-desires directly and openly. Squeamishness (as a form of defence against danger — overvalued ideas of “being influenced”, “being contaminated” and so on). A drive to get to the bottom of “the truth”.

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Disharmonious and Conflict-Prone Traits

  1. It is never entirely clear “whose side they are on”; indeterminacy (neither enemies nor friends).
  2. Hyper-control (of those close to them and of themselves, of their own desires)
  3. Difficulty in showing and in becoming aware of what they feel (given the ban on expressing and acting on it).
  4. Punishing themselves for realising their ideas-desires (for instance, they often make promises they cannot keep and are told off for it), so that in the end the ideas-desires are realised by “a crooked route”.
  5. It is hard for them to say “no”, to refuse (better to make a promise they cannot keep and then “run away”).
  6. A wish to look for a hidden meaning, a secret conspiracy, a threat in everything.
  7. “Being chosen”, being out of the ordinary (people are “nasty germs”, they are disgusted by them, squeamish).
  8. Unpredictability: “you will not work me out”.

Harmonious Traits

  1. An ability to see what is hidden; to foresee consequences, to calculate the options, to track regularities.
  2. An ability to see other, less obvious routes — unconventional thinking, creativity and activity.
  3. Calculation (working out the consequences of realising their ideas-desires, of their actions and so on).
  4. Restraint (in expressing what they feel and think).
  5. Inner freedom from the conditions society sets (“inner dissidents” — they live inside the system but not with it).
  6. An ability to deal with others within the boundaries those others have set.
  7. A wide variety of acquaintances and useful connections.
  8. An ability to deny themselves anything excessive.
  9. Curious, clever, well-read, analytical.
  10. They do not demand that others keep to agreements.
  11. They have a fine feeling for style.

Fears, Sources of Displeasure

  1. Hidden influence, being acted upon.
  2. Fulfilling their ideas-desires, since this may destroy their relationships with significant others and bring punishment.
  3. Expressing deep, strong feelings outwardly (after all, there are “enemies” all around), sincerity, directness, scenes.
  4. Being predictable to society (“they have got my number”)
  5. Everything being simpler than it seems (the world being simple, kind and primitive).
  6. Madness, being inadequate, being incomprehensible — and being punished for it (above all by losing the freedom of their ideas-desires).
  7. Not knowing something, being inexact, uninformed, incompetent in the eyes of society.
  8. Deception, betrayal (in closeness) -> emotional closeness; indifference, hypocrisy (from those close to them).

Sources of Pleasure

  1. Getting to the bottom of the truth, working out how something is secretly put together.
  2. Running a process from the background (“I am steering, but nobody can see me” — the éminences grises).
  3. Exclusivity, extravagance (buying rare shoes for $500, or out of grandmother's trunk, or from Coco Chanel).
  4. Solitude (though prolonged solitude frightens them with the prospect of becoming inadequate in the eyes of society).
  5. Difficult tasks and solving them (putting together all sorts of “jigsaws” and puzzles).
  6. A change of scene, travel (it helps to clear the head, to feel oneself).
  7. Meeting different people (as a way of studying “new structures”), interesting conversations.
  8. Books, films, theatre, ideas (complex, out of the ordinary).
  9. A permanent, at times illogical opposition to everything, and above all to the government of the day and to popular ideas (which creates the illusion of inner freedom).

Careers (Comfortable, Self-Actualizing)

  1. Criminal investigators
  2. Analysts. Theoretical scientists.
  3. Architects, designers of projects.
  4. Keepers of “great secrets” (Tibetan Buddhists, intelligence officers, scientists in closed research institutes and so on).
  5. Journalists who investigate conspiracies.
  6. Freelancers (I work for myself).
  7. Intelligence and counter-intelligence officers.
  8. Designers (exclusive, out-of-the-ordinary creative work).
  9. Politicians (committed members of the opposition).

Games – Roles – Manipulations

  1. “Enemies all around”, “a worldwide conspiracy”, “time to hide”.
  2. “I have been soiled” (ideas of being influenced, polluted, infected, given the evil eye and so on).
  3. Mysteriousness, magic, a life lived among mysterious ideas (“night watch / day watch”, “we are vampires”, “elves and orcs”).
  4. You will not catch me (you will not work me out).

Appearance

Exclusive, out of the ordinary, extravagant (or secretive and restrained); they often dress for the wrong weather, and often have pale skin; among young people the style is often of the “day watch”, “vampire”, “dark side” kind.

Motor Activity

Extravagant (or suspicious), angular, sharp

Personality Development (Paths)

  1. Realising their ideas-desires directly, without any need for punishment; expressing what they feel outwardly without fear.
  2. Becoming aware of their own bodily nature, of the link between body and mind; discovering their body and its needs.
  3. Trust and openness in society (“I know something hidden, but I do not want to shut myself up inside my own exclusivity”; “there are always conspiracies, but they are not dangerous to me”).
  4. Turning to face people, dealing with them as equals (people are not machines, not mechanisms, not structures).
  5. Closeness (as an expression of what they feel)
  6. Letting go of the hyper-control of themselves.
  7. Learning care, kindness, attentiveness to people, love (“people are not only interesting structures”).
  8. Calm, trust in the world, in the flow (all is well)