ABSTRACT
This chapter illustrates different components of paranoia. Some of the components include: sense of profound inadequacy, an inability to bear risk, and a preoccupation with assessing the motives of others. The chapter addresses clinicians attempting to treat those suffering from this dysfunction. The paranoid person feels certain about the causes of their suffering, and demands that others share their point of view. It is very hard to work with paranoid patients, because the patient often tries to maintain tight control over what the clinician is allowed to focus on in the session. The chapter discusses the personal qualities, talents, and skills the clinician most needs in order to cope well with someone suffering from intense paranoid anxiety. The analyst of the paranoid patient has to be able to accept having a very limited grasp of the patient's problems and the treatment's goals.
