ramon Posted March 17, 2012 Often notice a unhealthy level of paranoia seems more prevalent amongst older people. My parents being one example, haven't really investigated it but thought that someone here might already have. So do people get more paranoid as they get older? and if so why? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chilli Posted March 17, 2012 (edited) I think people become more of whatever they are are already like as they get older.. so paranoid folk get more paranoid, laid back folk get more laid back. There is a lot of flux throughout adolescence and twenties, but most people become quite rigid about their values and beliefs by the mid 30s. After that it seems people become very inflexible and tend to harden into caricatures of their younger selves. It's not set in stone and you can change it but requires a lot of determination, humility and introspection and most people are too ignorant, busy, lazy and arrogant to do the hard work. I think a good analogy is a house.. the foundations are laid and the house is built when we are young, and after that point most people don't bother doing more than superficial renovations or a coat of paint. To tear the whole thing down and rebuild is too costly and so is generally avoided unless the place has become so run down they have little choice. Edited March 17, 2012 by chilli Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
∂an Posted March 17, 2012 as some people age, the realisation of their own impermanence casts a negative shadow over their world outlook. this is especially true for those who embrace a materialist outlook on life. or maybe the novelty of things just wears off as we age and we get a bit cranky... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
waterboy 2.0 Posted March 18, 2012 Life experience assists in developing paranoid thinking, but I do think you need to be "wired" for such thought processes. Depending on what you do with your life, the outcomes that develop and how an individual processes what the outcome was. This helps shape a response to similar situations in the future. I prefer a hint of "paranoid thinking" myself, I had the displeasure of witnessing some very unbecoming characters in my life.... "forewarned is forearmed" What is an unhealthy level of paranoia? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
