Paranoid disorders : the interpersonal perspective

The material included in this article is part of a clinical study reporting the life-course and therapy of a group of thirty-four families in which at least one member of the family developed a delusional system.
Specifically, this paper discusses the rôle played by particular interpersonal transactions in the maintenance and amplification of paranoid beliefs. It is pointed out that the paranoid delusional system never remains a pure intrapsychic issue. In all our case studies, we have been able to show the presence and influence of an interactional feedback system.