Delusive consciousness

Every delusion is an incorrect understanding in its totality, although it may contain correct judgments in part. It implies belief based not on correct interpretation of wrong or partial information, but on incorrect interpretation of correct information due to erroneous reasoning. This may be from exaggerated scepticism, or from laziness of thought which refuses to consider or discuss certain subjects, or from mental illness. In the last case the false belief defies credibility and is not normally accepted by other members of the individual's culture or sub-culture. Then an individual holds, with complete conviction, a belief which is demonstrably false by the standards of his socio-cultural background. Typical examples are: belief that feelings, thoughts and impulses are being controlled from outside; exaggerated and grandiose sense of one's own importance; belief that the self or parts of the self do not exist; belief that the person or a group connected with him is being conspired against; belief that events or people in the vicinity are unusually significant.

True delusions remain firm in the face of any amount of persuasion, argument or even physical coercion and torture. Unlike normal beliefs, delusions are constantly ruminated upon and restated. New evidence is constantly sought. In the case of persecution delusions, the individual's life may be totalled geared to defensive measures or revenge.

Characteristically, delusions are wilful. They arise out of the desire for not knowing the truth oneself, or for keeping the truth from others. From the latter aspect, political history contains many instances of deluded citizenry, and of self-delusion among individual political leaders. Self-delusion is noted among leaders of all kinds. In the leader, the unconscious motive force for delusion is often ego-aggrandizement by satisfaction of power drives. In the follower, the unconscious motive for being deluded is ego-maintenance and the satisfaction of security needs. Leadership may be a role projected by followers on to someone who is invested with non-existent superior attributes.

Delusions are more likely to arise in people who have strong ego boundaries and who are rigidly detached from their environment. Delusion is contrasted with [illusion]

, which is normally the result of inadequate or distorted sensory perception. It is only on refusal to accept rational explanation of erroneous sensory perception that illusion becomes delusion. Delusion and projection are often associated phenomena. Primary delusions are experiences of a change in significance and disorder. Secondary delusions, which may arise from primary delusion or from other disturbing phenomena, are an attempt to explain the primary experience.

The belief that delusion and projected (subjectively distorted) perceptions of reality are phenomena restricted to the mentally ill or the few, is itself a delusion. Although the delusions of the insane are sufficiently unreasonable to be more obvious, delusion in fact makes up a significant portion of the conscious understanding of everyday life. The state is typified by an overwillingness to accept unthinkingly some particular opinion and a refusal to change that opinion whatever facts or arguments are presented; and an unwillingness to focus at all on particular subjects considered too mysterious or holy.