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Beliefs have a social purpose. Does this explain delusions?
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Delusional beliefs and madness
- People with psychosis may believe the neighbours are poisoning them; they could believe colleagues have hired someone to kill them.
- Psychiatrists define beliefs as delusions when they consider them to be irrational and unfounded.
- French philosopher Michel Foucault defined 'madness' as the absence of reason or rational thought.
- German-Swiss psychiatrist Karl Jaspers stated that delusions are incomprehensible beliefs that don't reflect the real world.
- Today, The American Psychiatric Association stated delusions are beliefs that are clearly implausible and not understandable to same-culture peers.
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Delusional concerns tied to our social world
The focus on irrationality is missing the point. To label delusions as irrational means that all 'normal' cognition is rational, which is not true as our beliefs are disproportionately influenced by multiple factors.
A new theory suggests that we form delusions to help us understand and survive in our social environment. These processes allow us to live and cooperate with people by understanding their intentions.
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Why people form delusional beliefs
Beliefs are formed in the first place to enable us to survive in our social environment, to cooperate with each other, and mutually reflect and solve problems. However, beliefs differ across social groups. For example, beliefs about the risk levels of specific activities during the pandemic vary greatly, such as the wearing of masks.
When we consider the social role of beliefs, we can better understand how delusions take shape. A person that has been repeatedly threatened may be wary of people in the future, even if it seems irrational.
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Delusions and our social context
Delusions are often thought of as the extreme part of a belief. People suffering from delusions remain unchanged even in the face of contrary evidence. Their beliefs may become increasingly intense and disruptive.
Research shows the importance of understanding the social environment of a delusional personal: instead of dismissing delusions as irrational, consider the social conditions that contributed to their distressing beliefs.
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The natural preferences of our brain
In a perfect world, we would use both success and failure as instructive lessons. But our brain doesn't learn that way. It learns more from some experiences than others.
Confirm...
Choice influences our decision-making
A study found that choice had an apparent influence on decision-making. In the studies subjects learned more when they had a free choice and when the choice gave a higher reward.
However, when participants were forced to select a specific choice, they were less invested in the outcomes, similar to a child mindlessly practicing to please a parent.
Choice-confirmation bias
When people can make a free choice, they embrace positive or negative outcomes that confirm they were right.
Studies show that this tendency persists in both poor and rich conditions. This means the brain is primed to learn with a bias linked to our freely chosen actions. The brain learns differently and more quickly from free choices than forced ones.
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Plato on love
The ancient Greek philosopher Plato argued that the highest form of love was brotherly love or platonic love.
The industrial age changed romance
For most of human history, there was no time for romance. Marriages were arranged by families and were a purely economic arrangement designed to promote the survival and prosperity of both extended families.
It wasn’t until the industrial age that things began to change. They didn't have to rely so heavily on family connections any more. Consequently, the economic and political components of marriage ceased to make sense.
"Happily ever after" ideal
The economic realities of the 19th century mixed with the idea from the Enlightenment about the pursuit of happiness. The result was the Age of Romanticism.
People became economically independent and love (or emotions) became valued in society. These ideals of love have been heavily promoted and marketed during the 20th century.
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The Illusion Of Control
Many people, who are otherwise perfectly healthy can create patterns and have an illusion that they are somehow in control of the external events that no one could influence.
The belief is...
Optimistic Belief Patterns
Scientists studying the illusion of control phenomenon in many of us state that the exaggerated belief patterns are actually a useful tool for success, as the overconfidence of our actions influencing the outside environment can act as a catalyst.
Being in control does wonders to our self-esteem and the sense of power creates a chain reaction that helps us even if it is just a delusion.
The Puzzle Of Human Perception
- Psychophysics is an experimental branch of psychology that investigates the limits of human perception.
- Humans are hardwired to be delusional about their actions and are extremely sensitive to how the world responds to whatever they do.
- The key takeaway of this puzzle is that even though our beliefs may be false, they create a rational inference that may be needed in an uncertain world.