Personality Blog

I have just added the third personality disorder in our series, Paranoid Personality Disorder (PPD). If you have not read the first two — Psychopaths and Borderline Personality Disorder — you are behind by two.

As Pat Conroy said:

I’ve always found paranoia to be a perfectly defensible position.

In some situations Pat is entirely correct, though there are individuals who trust no one under any circumstance. We don’t know what causes this disorder, however we are aware that the incidence is increased in families in which a family member is schizophrenic. Children who have suffered very negative experiences during their early years may learn that the world is a fearful and untrustworthy place. As adults they will bring this belief system into every relationship. They may believe that if the world is a malignant place filled with destructive, untrustworthy people then there is no hope. They will look for signs that their belief system is correct and ignore evidence that points to such positive attributes as loyalty, compassion and kindness. We create our world and then live in it. Paranoid Personality Disorder is, perhaps, an example of a belief system twisted and bent by damaging experiences and deaf to the reassuring resonance of harmony in human nature.

Learn more about this disorder and all of the personality disorders in our series. You will be glad that you did. There will be four more personality disorders in the series, don’t miss them. You will find more in-depth information about some of the disorders in my book, The Manipulative Man, too. Have you known a person with PPD? We would love to hear about your experiences.