A cognitive model of persecutory delusions

A multifactorial model of the formation and maintenance of persecutory delusions is presented. Persecutory delusions are conceptualized as threat beliefs. The beliefs are hypothesized to arise from a search for meaning for internal or external experiences that are unusual, anomalous, or emotionally...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:British journal of clinical psychology 2002-11, Vol.41 (4), p.331-347
Main Authors: Freeman, Daniel, Garety, Philippa A., Kuipers, Elizabeth, Fowler, David, Bebbington, Paul E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult and adolescent clinical studies
Biological and medical sciences
Clinical psychology
Cognition
Cognition Disorders - complications
Cognitive modelling
Culture
Delusions
Delusions - complications
Delusions - psychology
Depression - complications
Depression - psychology
Emotions
Humans
Life Change Events
Medical sciences
Mental health
Mental illness
Other psychotic disorders
Perceptual Disorders - complications
Persecution
Personality
Psychology
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Psychoses
Self Concept
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Summary:A multifactorial model of the formation and maintenance of persecutory delusions is presented. Persecutory delusions are conceptualized as threat beliefs. The beliefs are hypothesized to arise from a search for meaning for internal or external experiences that are unusual, anomalous, or emotionally significant for the individual. The persecutory explanations formed reflect an interaction between psychotic processes, pre‐existing beliefs and personality (particularly emotion), and the environment. It is proposed that the delusions are maintained by processes that lead to the receipt of confirmatory evidence and processes that prevent the processing of disconfirmatory evidence. Novel features of the model include the (non‐defended) direct roles given to emotion in delusion formation, the detailed consideration of both the content and form of delusions, and the hypotheses concerning the associated emotional distress. The clinical and research implications of the model are outlined.
ISSN:0144-6657
2044-8260
DOI:10.1348/014466502760387461