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Paranoid: Exploring Suspicion from the Dubious to the Delusional Kindle Edition

by David J. LaPorte (Author), Jr. Carpenter, William T. (Foreword) Format: Kindle Edition
4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 16 ratings
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From the pathological killer who gunned down the innocents at Virginia Tech to the average citizen who suspects the government is monitoring phone calls, the signs of suspiciousness and paranoia are all around us. In this comprehensive overview of an increasingly serious problem, an experienced psychologist and researcher describes what paranoia is, how and why it manifests itself, and the many forms it takes, including stalking, pathological jealousy, as a reaction to post-traumatic stress disorder, and perhaps even militia movements.Using striking vignettes from the present and the past, each chapter illustrates specific manifestations of paranoia while also describing in layperson's terms the clinical analysis of the condition. Among the topics discussed are the evolutionary origins of our "suspiciousness system" and factors that can trigger it today, the connection between illicit drug usage and paranoid behavior, PTSD, violent expressions of paranoia, and options for treating various kinds of paranoia.The author emphasizes that life in post-9/11 America is a fertile environment for paranoia; in an era of computer hackers, omnipresent security cameras, NSA surveillance, and terrorism, "normal" people have good reasons to be suspicious as their sense of security and privacy is undermined. But in such an insecure atmosphere, everyday suspicion can easily be ratcheted up, resulting in paranoia and occasionally violent outbursts. He warns of a possible epidemic of paranoia and suggests public health measures that could be used to counteract this potentially dangerous trend.Whether you consider yourself susceptible to paranoia or know others who might be, this enlightening book will help you understand the many factors that can distort your mental outlook.
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  1. Print length
    300 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Prometheus
  5. Publication date
    September 1, 2015
  6. File size
    1275 KB
  7. Page Flip
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  8. Word Wise
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Fascinating and ground-breaking. . . . The extremely well-researched, well-organized, and well-written Paranoid is worthy of a platform for a broader, more meaningful discussion of the causes and consequences of paranoia.”

—Foreword Reviews

“A lively good read. It ranges from the suspicious feelings we all experience to the paranoid symptoms associated with street drugs and dementia to the severe forms of paranoid schizophrenia, which often culminate in tragedy. The author illustrates his points with numerous vignettes, which are entertaining as well as edifying. You never know when paranoia will show its face.”

—E. Fuller Torrey, MD, author of American Psychosis: How the Federal Government Destroyed the Mental Illness Treatment System

About the Author

David J. LaPorte, PhD, is a professor of psychology and director of clinical training in the Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He is the author or coauthor of seven book chapters and more than twenty professional articles, has testified in court as an expert witness on many occasions, and has done dozens of media interviews on syndicated radio. His research has been the subject of articles appearing in major magazines including Glamour, Jump, and Allure as well as Today.com.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00R049P4Q
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Prometheus (September 1, 2015)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 1, 2015
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1275 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 300 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 16 ratings

Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
4 out of 5
16 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

R.K. Sprau
5.0 out of 5 stars Easy reading non technical so those who want to see ...
Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2016
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Easy reading non technical so those who want to see how they think, this is the book for you, for those who wish college technical, its not. What it does do is it bring you into there world. For the reader not afflicted with this illness, you may find it hard to grasp how debilitating or how how spread it is. As a primer, I highly recommend it. A common theme is how fragile the human psyche is or what can trigger an event.

Mt take though the author didn't mention it is being afraid of the unknown and society. After 9-11 this is a common occurrence.
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A.Luther
3.0 out of 5 stars A Superficial Examination of a Deeply Disturbing Mental State
Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2016
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Human beings are by nature a social animal so when someone starts to think that others are out to harm them the psychological impact on both the individual and society is enormous. The psychological state of the paranoid is a complex one that raises difficult questions. For example, how is it we can judge whether someone is truly paranoid for as the saying goes: "just because your paranoid doesn't me that no one's out to get you." Unfortunately, I found this book to be a slightly superficial look at this deep and complex problem. The book has plenty of short, non-depth, case studies of paranoid people. Many of these case studies are examples of people with extremely delusional beliefs that fuel their paranoia and many of the cases involve people whose paranoia has brought them into the legal or criminal justice system. I felt that in reading most of these cases I was reading them just because of the oddness of the tragic story involved rather then being enlightened on the psychological underpinning and causes of the paranoid states that the inflicted person presented with. On the subject of causes, LaPorte goes for Evolutionary Psychology explanations of paranoia. In other words, he tells us how paranoid thinking may have evolved in evolutionary terms. Personally, I am not a fan of these types of explanations as they fail to capture the unique psychological make up that can go into someone having a delusional paranoid state. Instead we get typical Evolutionary Psychology "explanations" such as the notion that an emotion like jealousy evolves in men because they are not sure whether the women they are partnered with will lie about who the real father of "their" baby is and women get jealous because men - if given half the chance - will go out and spread their genetic material with other women at any given opportunity. LaPorte also tells us that people have "suspiciousness system" in their brain that leads to paranoid thinking and actions. I would suggest that LaPorte's "suspiciousness is a part of the brain" explanation is no more of an explanation for paranoia then explaining my interest in football as being due to a "we love football system" in my brain. The issue of how to treat paranoia is also given a superficial look. The author dwells on the history of frontal lobotomies in the United States I think because it makes for an interesting story rather then being really relevant to understanding the treatment of paranoia. The primary form of intervention for paranoia, whether in a clinical setting or on an informal setting, are talk therapies such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. LaPorte goes into very little detail about how therapies such as Cognitive Behaviour Therapy or Psycho-analytic Therapy could help treat - or not treat - paranoid people. LaPorte gives as an entire chapter on violence and paranoia and shows us some case studies of how paranoid persons have ended up killing others. I am not sure what the purpose of outlining these case studies is, other then remind us how horrible the outcomes of paranoia can be. One of the final chapters also tells us how our society is breeding paranoia through the advances of technology which enable us to spy on each other and disseminate disturbing news to one another. LaPorte also identifies that the break down in close community connections has also increased societies levels of paranoia . Maybe this is true, but thousands of years ago our ancestors had to worry about being eaten by other animals - and other things - so may be a sense of paranoia is just wired into us. The real question perhaps is how so many of us are able to push our fears that others may harm us to one side and opt for a life of relatively peaceful co-existence. I give this book three stars because - as LaPorte says - there is very little written on the subject of paranoia despite the importance of understanding this disturbing psychological state of mind.
6 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars Some of the chapter are better than others
Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2015
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Some of the chapter are better than others. He covers a wide range of issues but at times some chapter feel like the author is trying to get enough material for a book. Some of the chapter should be read, some skimmed and some skipped
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars This is a great book for anyone interested in psychology and paranoia
Reviewed in the United States on November 10, 2015
This is a great book for anyone interested in psychology and paranoia. It has very detailed descriptions of different aspects of paranoia, which is helpful if you have no background on the subject. Also, the humor that is weaved into the short antidotes and case studies makes it a very enjoyable read.
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Top reviews from other countries

gavin
5.0 out of 5 stars I also liked it because I am fed up of reading the ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 18, 2015
Verified Purchase
Very interesting read although I did feel that I was waiting for the author to get to the point and tell me what causes people to be paranoid. Also are animals paranoid as well as humans. I also liked it because I am fed up of reading the same 1000's of books about people with depression, anxiety and other everyday normal disorders.
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