Delusions Great and Small: The Four Ways Belief and Delusions Move Us All

A young woman sits on a hospital gurney relating how, two years ago, her family was abducted by aliens and have been replaced by imposters.

A middle aged man clings tightly to his cell phone as it is his only connection to the “love of his life” who sends special, secret, messages no one else can understand—she will be coming to rescue him any day now (for the past five years!).

A couple snipes at one another as they cite back and forth the incidents in which each has been wronged by the other, fighting hard to be understood.

A teenage boy does not want to go to school because he knows that many of his classmates are sneering and laughing behind his back because of a girl he likes.

Faithfully on every Friday, a middle aged woman goes to the same mini-market to purchase her Powerball ticket in hopes of hitting it big.

Though these stories may seem very different, they all have characteristics in common: in addition, they are marked by a continuum of belief that ranges from the simple to full-blown delusion. Now I am not saying that couples who argue are delusional (not all anyway) but I would say that both delusion and tightly held belief have commonalities that keep them threaded to one another—which is nothing new to the psychological community (Peters 2014). Of course there are several theories as to the origins and nature of delusions which will not be argued here (SEP 2013). What we are looking for are the common elements that we cling to—whether we are so sure of our argument against our significant other or ready to board the alien ship. A continuum of belief would actually start with just that, a belief in what you may not be completely sure of—which is completely human and healthy. From there we have assumptions, distortions, fallacies and delusions, each taking on more bizarre and far-fetched manifestations as we move from left to right. We must also include four key elements found at each level of belief: Expectations surrounding them, the context they are in, the evidence we find to support them, and the meaning they have. If these commonalities hold true then the most important concept is not right and wrong but how and why we relate to the world as we do. If you don’t think you engage in the more outrageous end of the spectrum, read on, your type may show up and surprise you.

To be fair a bit of an explanation would be appropriate for the continuum:

Beliefs:  

Garden variety, as stated previously they are completely part of our make-up. This is readily found in religion but carries over into each aspect of our lives (you too science!). Beliefs can be shaped by our values and upbringing and hold with them the hope that they are well founded. Of course simple belief does not make things a reality: re Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, but it can have a profound impact on who we are as people—what we hold dear and come to rely on. In my practice I assess for the personal, relational and global belief’s that we operate from and see where it may help or hurt us.

Assumptions:  

Assumptions move one over from beliefs. They rely on stronger expectations of what we think the world (others and circumstances) should be like. When we jump in our cars and turn the key we automatically assume the engine will turn over and things will start (depending on the make and year of your car). Problems may arise when our assumptions don’t come through. If our car does not start we have a difficult time getting over our assumptions and attempt to turn the key several times. In relating to people, when we assume other’s actions and attitudes, we can get the same way when they don’t do what we think they should. So you see we can really get caught up and snagged based on our small delusion of what others should do.

Distortions:  

This is the department of David Burns, the renowned psychiatrist, CBT psych guru, and author of Feeling Good and Feeling Good Together. (Burns 1999) He articulated 10 common cognitive distortions that can get us into trouble when we view the world through such lenses (a few of his concepts inspired my assessments). He names distortions such as “all or nothing thinking”, “mental filter”, and “mind reading” that completely get in the way of reasonable processing. One of my favorites is when we walk into a room and believe everyone is staring at (and judging) us, or knowing “she hates me because of the way she looks at me”. If we are arguing with our spouse one common distortion might by that they against us and want to crush us—which we think is obvious in our fight or flight state. When we accept that we are capable of seeing the world in these distortions we can challenge them; thereby putting them to rest so that we might get along in the world and with others.

Fallacies:

Ebbing ever closer to full blown psychosis we arrive at fallacies. By definition a fallacy is a mistaken belief based on unsound argument—but so are distortions really (and some beliefs!). Scores of studies point to some delusions stemming from one’s interpretation of the outside world and conclusions drawn therein. Now the psychiatric community at large does not use fallacy to refer to delusions—they split delusions into bizarre and non-bizarre. I like to use fallacy because it skirts the line between a distortion and a delusion. Distortions can be pointed out and more readily changed while delusions are more fixed in most cases. A fallacy, as I see it, could possibly be true but is highly unlikely. For example: the common fallacy that the FBI is following and surveilling a persons every move ala Mel Gibson’s character in Conspiracy Theory—could it be true? Perhaps.

Delusions:

Delusions are the bonus round of mental illness and make for great stories at cocktail parties. They can be random, have themes (paranoid, eratomatic, thought insertion etc.), be directed toward others, and may even be shared with those close to us. One popular, though argued, definition is that they are a fixed belief that is implausible and/or improbable. Some of the most bizarre include the Capgras delusion in which those affected believe that loved ones have either died, or have been abducted, and been replaced by impostors. Often there is no evidence to support such beliefs and to argue the point with those affected would only fold you into the delusion.

Now that the general information of the continuum is covered we can pull out the commonalities they all share. These four concepts also explain why it can be so difficult for us to let go of our tightly held beliefs—whether you are sure that you are having a string of bad luck or you are being followed by your neighbor everywhere you go (which is a Frigoli delusion by the way).

1. Expectation 

Beliefs naturally come with a kind of expectation associated with them. When we believe something we move forward in life with the idea that certain things are in place that will see our beliefs fulfilled. When we sit in a chair we believe it will hold us—and we expect it. Often times this works in our favor and if we question everything at every moment to test its viability then we will be faced with another problem (obsession/compulsion anyone?). Plug this into any one category on the continuum of belief and each has its expectations: We make an assumption that we can pass through the green light because everyone else will stop on the red. In the area of faith our beliefs come with the expectation that a greater reward awaits after we give up this mortal coil.

2. Context 

Beliefs, assumptions, distortions etc. exist within a type of context, whether it is our upbringing or the very situation we find ourselves in that founds our belief. A person’s past has everything to do with how they view the world today. Many couples who cannot seem to get along will find that it is actually not the argument per se that they are working through it is the surrounding context (or the deeper currents) of what they are defending themselves against. Take the couple in which both parties were raised by abusive parents: she may close down and retreat because that was the best tack in her home growing up; he, on the other hand becomes grandiose and loud because of the perceived (or assumed) challenge he faces in his wife (and because his voice was taken away in his youth). For her, when he starts to get loud she perceives it as a safety threat like the one she grew up with. He responds to her shutting down as trying to blow him off and control him. Both are working from distortions that have contextual meaning backing them up—and we can even add an individual’s tendency toward depression, anxiety or any number of issues. This makes it difficult to step back and question the “why?” of how we are reacting. In context, we believe our actions and attitudes to be correct, right, and warranted—even though we are only seeing it from our point of view.

3. Evidence  

A confirmation bias is the psychological concept that states we as people tend to look for information to confirm our beliefs and dismiss any evidence that may dispel them; in other words, we accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative if we want something to be true. The pleasantly psychotic man that stated, “We all could create a delusion if we think on it hard enough” was absolutely right. Some of us like to believe (there’s that word again!) that we are equal, rational, and non-biased human beings. This notion of us would be great if it were not for the facts. Because our human make up dictates that we live our lives according to our beliefs about the world, for any one of us to judge ourselves as utterly level and clear headed is close to a fallacy if not a delusion. That being said we most certainly look for evidence to confirm our best hopes or worst fears. That’s why when we start our day it will be dictated by whether we have a desire to play the theme from Superman or a song from The Smiths. So too in regards to our relationships: are you happy with the person you are with? Are you sure they are at fault? Perhaps it’s you and the evidence you are looking for to confirm your doubts?—which is a distortion any way you look at it.

4. Meaning  

This can be the most powerful category and may drive the other three. Each of our beliefs about what surrounds us, from great to small, carries with it some amount of meaning. For the man with the imaginary girlfriend on is phone his belief can meet his need for acceptance and assuage his debilitating loneliness. For him to accept evidence that he is involved in a delusion and that she does not exist would mean that he must give up an integral part of his life. More commonly, if we believe that the cutting remarks we perceive to be coming from our spouse could appear as a threat to our visceral desire to feel safe and loved we will retaliate in kind, thereby setting off their distortions as well. If we are constantly asking the internal questions: Who am I? Am I good enough? Am I accepted? Do you care about me? We may have already internalized the answer early on and are just looking for evidence to confirm our belief.

Consider also that certain categories we cling tightly to, for many of us a belief in God, serves as a beacon of hope and surety in a most uncertain world. This need for meaning then broaches the philosophical and can be a good reference point in regards to how we translate the input around us. Meaning behind belief has layers of categories that go beyond the simple: I don’t believe this, I don’t know if I believe this, or I believe that, to a more profound: I have to believe this or I don’t want to believe that—and all the variations therein. The man who is stuck on a raft in the middle of the shark infested Pacific Ocean after his plane goes down may, after 30 or more days, give up hope because the odds are so grim (and who would blame him?); but when he is still holding out hope after 45 days we may as well categorize his belief into a fallacy. (Hillenbrand 2010) So then his fallacy does not seem so out of the pale, especially when it actually becomes needed—like our friend with the phone. This is where issues of right and wrong can be a side note to the more meaningful question of “why?” Why do we believe as we do? Why are we accepting these assumptions or distortions? Is it because we are looking to confirm or dispel something we are afraid of? Such are the hidden questions we ask when face to face with what we are sure to be true.

How Can We Use This?

The application of these four elements comes in the examining why we believe what we do. Take, for example, the bad feeling one gets when walking into their work. “No one at work likes me” they may say. The expectation then is that no one will show them any courtesy (and if they do they are only being phony!); the context can be that things at work have been difficult lately but also that, growing up as a child, they never really felt accepted or part of the group; to them the evidence is manifest by the way others look at them (also remember all evidence to the contrary will be brushed aside while only accepting that which supports one’s distortion); finally, the meaning is found in our character’s deep desire to be accepted, included, and welcomed. So is it a belief based on sound evidence and long held conviction, an assumption that is being made with no real evidence, or a distortion based on what is pre-conceived about how the others at work feel? Add to this the tendency for us to use specific personal, relational and global beliefs and we can see how such attitudes take hold. The challenge then comes in confronting such patterns and examining our own drives and motives for holding them fast.

If you would like to know more about the beliefs that drive you, schedule an assessment at my office. If you would like to read other articles on family, work, and general psychology check out my blog at www.chrisoneth.com or to get updates visit and like my Facebook page at Chris Oneth MFTi and like the page.

Chris

Burns, David. Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy New York: Harper-Collins, 1999

Hillenbrand, Laura. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption. New York: Random House, 2010. ISBN 978-0-81297-449-2.

Peters, Emmanuelle (2014). Are Delusions on A Continuum: The Case of Religious and Delusional Beliefs https://www.researchgate.net/publication/229977425_Are_Delusions_on_a_Continuum_The_Case_of_Religious_and_Delusional_Beliefs Retrieved: December 31, 2015

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (2013) Delusions, http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/delusion/#DelBel Retrieved January 2, 2016