Even Paranoids Have Enemies-New Perspectives on Paranoia and Persecution

by Joseph H. Berke (Editor), Stella Pierides (Editor), Andrea Sabbadini (Editor)

Even paranoids have enemies' is the reply Golda Meir is said to have made to Henry Kissinger who, during the 1973 Sinai talks, accused her of being paranoid for hesitating to grant further concessions to the Arabs. It is used as part of the title of this book to highlight the comlex relationship between paranoia and persecution The book is divided into three sections. Section one addresses aspects of the complex psychological impact that experiences of external and internal persecution have on the individual. Section two brings together expositions on paranoid and persecutory processes in groups, institutions and bureaucracies. Section three discusses the social, political and cultural factors which give rise to these processes. The theoretical viewpoints introduced and discussed come to life in the political, social and historical arenas where the politics of the Middle East, racism, the pressures of Japanese society and the dynamics of the drug scene are used to illustrate and understand the issues involved in paranoid thinking and in persecution.; The authors' perspectives, from psychoanalytic psychotherapy, psychiatry, politics, sociology, history and the arts, shed light on phenomena which are often taken for granted and show how our thinking on these matters has implications for social and ethical concerns and for clinical practice. Joseph H.

Kindle Edition

First published February 26, 1998

Reviews

[Stella Pierides · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was one of four editors for this book: Joseph H. Berke, Stella Pierides, Andrea Sabbadini, Stanley Schneider.

I was and still am proud of the quality of the writing, breadth and variety of perspective ... I may be biased, but I consider this to be one of the best books around on the themes of paranoia and persecution.