In 1981 I coined the word "pronoia" to mean the opposite of paranoia and in 1982 published a ten page article in the academic journal-SOCIAL PROBLEMS (Vol. 30 # 1) The abstract of the article follows: Pronoia is the positive counterpart of paranoia. It is the delusion that others think well of one. Actions and the products of one's efforts are thought to be well received and praised by oters. Mere acquaintences are thought to be close friends; politeness and the exchange of pleasantires are taken as expressions of deep attachment and the promise of future support. Pronoia appears to be rooted in the socil complexity and cultural ambiguity of our lives: we have becomes increasingly dependent on the opinions of others based on uncertain criteria. This paper discusses individuals six who were observed in research on organizations who suffer from pronoia, the organizational and interpersonal mechanisms that encourage it, and the connections between pronoia and paranoia. The paper suggests that introspection in a time of conflicting forms of consciousness is both an explanation for pronoia--and a problem in itself.
The article got picked up by a number of newspapers, amgazines and radio broadcasts and has gopne on from there to multiple uses. Do you need any more information or the full article?
Fred H. Goldner (the author) at fgoldner@comcast.net
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goldner commented on the word pronoia
In 1981 I coined the word "pronoia" to mean the opposite of paranoia and in 1982 published a ten page article in the academic journal-SOCIAL PROBLEMS (Vol. 30 # 1) The abstract of the article follows: Pronoia is the positive counterpart of paranoia. It is the delusion that others think well of one. Actions and the products of one's efforts are thought to be well received and praised by oters. Mere acquaintences are thought to be close friends; politeness and the exchange of pleasantires are taken as expressions of deep attachment and the promise of future support. Pronoia appears to be rooted in the socil complexity and cultural ambiguity of our lives: we have becomes increasingly dependent on the opinions of others based on uncertain criteria. This paper discusses individuals six who were observed in research on organizations who suffer from pronoia, the organizational and interpersonal mechanisms that encourage it, and the connections between pronoia and paranoia. The paper suggests that introspection in a time of conflicting forms of consciousness is both an explanation for pronoia--and a problem in itself.
The article got picked up by a number of newspapers, amgazines and radio broadcasts and has gopne on from there to multiple uses. Do you need any more information or the full article?
Fred H. Goldner (the author) at fgoldner@comcast.net
June 15, 2009