Monday, September 19, 2005
Pronoia
"Pronoia," explains Michael Quinion, "is the suspicion that the universe is a conspiracy on your behalf, the opposite of the popular sense of paranoia. It seems to have been invented by the sociologist Fred Goldner in an article in Social Problems in 1982, in which he defined it as 'the delusion that others think well of one,' the unreasoning belief that your superiors think you are indispensable, that your colleagues adore you, and that you are doing brilliantly in your work."
The term was taken up by Rob Brezny in his book Pronoia is the Antitode for Paranoia: How the Whole World is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings. Rob takes the idea of Pronoia seriously. And beautifully. See his descriptions of Unabashed Pronoia Thereapy. Here's one of his 19 suggestions:
"18. Those who explore pronoia often find they have a growing capacity to help people laugh at themselves. While few arbiters of morality recognize this skill as a mark of high character, I put it near the top of my list. In my view, inducing people to take themselves less seriously is a supreme virtue."
Yes, even though pronoia might be as unfounded and irrational as paranoia, if you have a choice of irrationalities, I say, go pro. Now.
The term was taken up by Rob Brezny in his book Pronoia is the Antitode for Paranoia: How the Whole World is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings. Rob takes the idea of Pronoia seriously. And beautifully. See his descriptions of Unabashed Pronoia Thereapy. Here's one of his 19 suggestions:
"18. Those who explore pronoia often find they have a growing capacity to help people laugh at themselves. While few arbiters of morality recognize this skill as a mark of high character, I put it near the top of my list. In my view, inducing people to take themselves less seriously is a supreme virtue."
Yes, even though pronoia might be as unfounded and irrational as paranoia, if you have a choice of irrationalities, I say, go pro. Now.
