How do you tell the difference between paranoia, and an actual conspiracy ?
if it were a conspiracy-the people involved wouldn’t tell you (of course)-so how can you know?
Answer by Gexi
How i see it,
Paranoia – I think the government is recording me when i take showers, i nolonger take showers because i am that scared.
Conspiracy – The government are actually recording me taking a shower, i made a website dedicated to this information, a few people beleive me. But i have not stopped showering.
In a way, they kind of are the same, yet different. Like.. If i think the Lochness monster is real and beleive its a conspiracy. I would still swim in the lake. If im paranoid about the Lochness monster being a conpiracy, i would not. Because i dont want to be eaten alive.
What do you think? Answer below!
The easiest way to distinguish is the grip on reality.
A paranoid person will not be able to articulate logical premises surrounding his or her subject of paranoia. To an outsider, their fears will probably not make much sense.
An actual conspiracy would necessarily have to be proven, but in lieu of that (as most conspiracies are not or can not be proven), they are based in constructs and ideas that could, in fact, happen.
Could 9/11 have been planned by the government? I suppose it’s possible. Are unicorns out to kill my dog? Probably not.
Most people with paranoia will not be able to distinguish their fears as being implausible versus improbable.
If someone is psychotic, being able to identify paranoid thoughts as such can be very difficult. Sometimes having a conversation with a therapist or a sensitive friend will persuade the paranoid that a conspiracy belief is unfouncded, but while the condition is there, it’s likely that more paranoid thinking will follow.
A person who is unstable, such as a bipolar type with high anxiety, can “psych” himself into paranoia. Anxiety promotes paranoid thiking, which in turn promotes anxiety. It’s a viscious circle. What someone who is prone to anxiety has to do is nip paranoid thinking in the bud. Whenever a worrisome thought pops into your head, even if it’s minor, you have to examine it and see if it makes sense. In cognitive therapy this is called monitoring.
Attitude is important. When you tell a paranoid type, “People are talking about you,” there’s a cynical reaction. Talking about people is assumed to be hostile. People might be talking because their concerned about him.
Paranoid types overestimate what they know. They assume what others thjink, without knowing.
with paranoia, you know that it isn’t true, but you think those thoughts anyway. in an actual conspiracy, i would think that there would be at least a few signs pointing to it. so if you find those signs, there’s a good chance that it’s nothing. if you don’t, then you’re probably just making crap up.