An experiential perspective on persecutory paranoia: a grounded theory construction

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Social Science

Background:

• Growing research highlights social factors in persecutory paranoia development.
• A gap exists in studies collaborating with users to understand the lived experience of paranoia.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an experiential perspective on persecutory paranoia through user collaboration.
• To construct a grounded theory of the core processes involved in the experience of paranoia.

Main Methods:

• Employed a social constructionist grounded theory approach.
• Conducted semi-structured interviews with ten individuals experiencing persecutory paranoia.
• Analyzed transcribed interviews using the grounded theory method.

Main Results:

• Constructed a core process of fear and vulnerability central to the paranoia experience.
• Identified contributing subcategories: confusion, uncertainty, and self under attack.
• Paranoia emerged as a complex, dynamic mechanism for safety in perceived dangerous situations.

Conclusions:

• Paranoia involves responding to frightening experiences while also self-attacking.
• Emphasizes the need for shared meaning negotiation between researchers and individuals with paranoia.
• Highlights directions for future research into the subjective experience of paranoia.