你一定聽說過被迫害妄想症，也聽說過許多其它的心理疾病，我也一樣。

好多時候，我們區分不來心理亞健康、心理疾病、精神病，甚至我們無法區別出精神病與其它一些疾病的差別，比如癲癇。

以往我們對於心理健康太多顧忌，有點諱疾忌醫，但現在，包括我在內的很多人都慢慢開始接受一點，那就是人在生理和心理上都是可能得病的，而得病了無非是調理或治療。

我們不必假裝很驚訝地看待彼此的心理健康問題，因為，別人身上有的毛病，我們自己身上未必就沒有。

我想，真正心理健康的人，恐怕很少吧！

問題還不僅僅是我們自己，包括我們的父母輩，兒女輩都會遇到心理問題，尤其是孩子們面臨很大的學習和成長壓力，心理上很容易出問題，多瞭解一些心理學方面的東西有助於我們及時發現問題，並及早介入心理輔導，相信對孩子也會有幫助的。

說了些題外話，下面進入正文——

Chapter 8： Persecution mania

第八章 被迫害妄想症

In its more extreme forms persecution mania is a recognised form of insanity。 Some people imagine that others wish to kill them， or imprison them， or to do them some other grave injury。 Often the wish to protect themselves against imaginary persecutors leads them into acts of violence which make it necessary to restrain their liberty。 This， like many other forms of insanity， is only an exaggeration of a tendency not at all uncommon among people who count as normal。 I do not propose to discuss the extreme forms， which are a matter for a psychiatrist。 It is the milder forms that I wish to consider， because they are a very frequent cause of unhappiness， and because， not having gone so far as to produce definite insanity， they are still capable of being dealt with by the patient himself， provided he can be induced to diagnose his trouble rightly and to see that its origin lies within himself and not in the supposed hostility or unkindness of others。

被迫害妄想症的極端形式是一種公認的精神疾病。有些人會幻想其他人想要殺死他們，或者監禁他們，又或者對他們做其它的嚴重傷害。為此，他們常常想要保護自己，並對抗想象中的迫害者，這種願望會導致他們的暴力行為，也因此，限制他們的自由變成必要的事情。

與許多其它形式的精神疾病一樣，這只是對於普通人群中某些普遍傾向的誇大而已。我並不打算討論其極端形式，那是精神科醫生的事情。我想要考察的是比較溫和的形式，原因在於它是不幸福的一種常見的起因，同時，它也還沒走到精神病的程度，只要能夠引導患者正確地認知自己的問題，並看到問題的根源在於自己，而非想象中他人的敵意或不友善，那麼，患者就可以自己來解決這個問題。

We are all familiar with the type of person， man or woman， who， according to his own account， is perpetually the victim of ingratitude， unkindness， and treachery。 People of this kind are often extraordinarily plausible， and secure warm sympathy from those who have not known them long。 There is， as a rule， nothing inherently improbable about each separate story that they relate。 The kind of ill-treatment of which they complain does undoubtedly sometimes occur。 What in the end rouses the hearer‘s suspicions is the multiplicity of villains whom it has been the sufferer’s ill-fortune to meet with。 In accordance with the doctrine of probability， different people living in a given society are likely in the course of their lives to meet with about the same amount of bad treatment。 If one person in a given set receives， according to his own account， universal ill-treatment， the likelihood is that the cause lies in himself， and that he either imagines injuries from which in fact he has not suffered， or unconsciously behaves in such a way as to arouse uncontrollable irritation。 Experienced people therefore become suspicious of those who by their own account are invariably ill-treated by the world； they tend， by their lack of sympathy， to confirm these unfortunate people in the view that everyone is against them。 The trouble， in fact， is a difficult one to deal with， since it is inflamed alike by sympathy and by lack of sympathy。 The person inclined to persecution mania， when he finds a hard-luck story believed， will embellish it until he reaches the frontier of credibility； when， on the other hand， he finds it disbelieved， he has merely another example of the peculiar hard-heartedness of mankind towards himself。 The disease is one that can be dealt with by understanding， and this understanding must be conveyed to the patient if it is to serve its purpose。 My purpose in this chapter is to suggest some general s by means of which each individual can detect in himself the elements of persecution mania （from which almost everybody suffers in a greater or less degree）， and， having detected them， can eliminate them。 This is an important part of the conquest of happiness， since it is quite impossible to be happy if we feel that everybody ill-treats us。

我們都很熟悉這種人（這與男女無關），按照他自己的描述，他總是成為別人忘恩負義、敵視態度以及背叛行為的犧牲品。這種人往往貌似非常可信，會令相識不久的人給予他溫暖的同情。

一般來說，他所講的每一個故事，單獨來看都沒什麼不可信。他們訴說的那種惡意對待偶爾也確實可能會發生。而最終引起聽者懷疑的是，他怎麼這麼倒黴，居然會碰到這麼多各種各樣的反派。按照機率論來說，生活在特定社會中的不同的人，在他們的生活中遇到倒黴事的機率應該是差不多的。

如果按照他自己的說法，在給定的這個人群的集合裡受到了普遍的不公正待遇，那麼原因很可能在於他自己而非別人。要麼一切只是想像，實際上他並沒有遭受侵害；要麼就是他那些無意識的行為讓別人忍不住發怒。因此，那些有經驗的人會對那些自稱總是受到這世界不公對待的人產生懷疑，而由於這種缺乏同情心的行為，更使這些不幸的人們堅信自己受到了不公正的待遇。

實際上，這個麻煩很難解決，因為無論是同情或不同情都會引發問題。有被迫害妄想症傾向的人，當他發現有人相信自己遭遇不幸的故事時，他就會添油加醋，把事情誇張到沒法再誇張的地步；反之，如果他發現別人不信，他就又多了一個別人對他特別鐵石心腸、冷酷無情的例證。唯有用理解才能應對這種疾病，同時，必須把這種理解轉達給病人才能達到目的。

我撰寫本章的目的是提出一些基本的反思，由此，每個人都能夠自我檢核一下，看看自己身上是否有被迫害妄想症的因素（其實幾乎每個人身上都或多或少有點問題），而一旦檢核完畢，我們就可以消除這個問題。這是走向幸福很重要的一部分，因為，如果我們覺得人人都在虐待我們，我們不可能幸福的。

One of the most universal forms of irrationality is the attitude taken by practically everybody towards malicious gossip。 Very few people can resist saying malicious things about their acquaintances， and even on occasion about their friends； yet when people hear that anything has been said against themselves， they are filled with indignant amazement。 It has apparently never occurred to them that， just as they gossip about everyone else， so everyone else gossips about them。 This is a mild form of the attitude which， when exaggerated， leads on to persecution mania。 We expect everybody else to feel towards us that tender love and that profound respect which we feel towards ourselves。 It does not occur to us that we cannot expect others to think better of us than we think of them and the reason this does not occur to us is that our own merits are great and obvious， whereas those of others， if they exist at all， are only visible to a very charitable eye。 When you hear that so-and-so has said something horrid about you， you remember the ninety-nine times when you have refrained from uttering the most just and well-deserved criticism of him， and forget the hundredth time when in an unguarded moment you have declared what you believe to be the truth about him。 Is this the reward， you feel， for all your long forbearance？ Yet from his point of view your conduct appears exactly what his appears to you； he knows nothing of the times when you have not spoken， he knows only of the hundredth time when you did speak。 If we were all given by magic the power to read each other‘s thoughts I suppose the first effect would be that almost all friendships would be dissolved； the second effect， however， might be excellent， for a world without any friends would be felt to be intolerable， and we should learn to like each other without needing a veil of illusion to conceal from ourselves that we did not think each other absolutely perfect。 We know that our friends have their faults， and yet are on the whole agreeable people whom we like。 We find it， however， intolerable that they should have the same attitude towards us。 We expect them to think that， unlike the rest of mankind， we have no faults。 When we are compelled to admit that we have faults， we take this obvious fact far too seriously。 Nobody should expect to be perfect， or be unduly troubled by the fact that he is not。

非理性最常見的形式之一就是，實際上幾乎每個人都有長舌婦的傾向。很少有人能忍得住不說熟人的壞話，甚至是說朋友的壞話，但是反過來一旦聽到人們說自己的壞話時卻變得滿肚子憤慨，驚怒交加。很顯然，他們從未想過，就像自己在背後八卦別人一樣，別人也會在背後八卦自己。

這是一種較輕微的形式，但如果更誇張點的話，就會導致被迫害妄想症。

我們希望其他人對待我們時都能像我們對待自己一樣充滿了溫柔的愛戀和深深的尊重。我們從來沒有想到過，我們不能指望別人對我們的評價比我們對他們的評價還要高。而我們之所以想不到這一點，是因為自己的優點在我們眼裡巨大而醒目，而他人的優點，即使有的話，也只有一雙寬厚而慈悲的眼睛才能看得到。

當你聽到某某人在背後說你壞話的時候，你會記起有99次已經話到嘴邊，但你都強忍著沒有說出對他公平公正、合情合理的批評，但你卻忘記在第100次的時候，在某個不經意的時刻，你說出了對他自以為真實的想法。你難道真的認為，這是對你長時間以來的忍耐的報酬嗎？而從他的角度來看，你的行為與你眼中他的行為如出一轍。他並不知道你有99次都忍住沒說什麼，他只知道這第100次你的確八卦了。

如果賜予我們魔法的力量，讓我們可以解讀彼此的想法，我想，第一個影響就是幾乎所有的友誼都會化為泡影；而無論如何，第二個影響可能會很棒，因為一個沒有朋友的世界是我們無法容忍的，所以，我們應該會學著去喜歡彼此，而無需帶上幻覺的面紗隱藏我們自己認為對方並非完美的事實。

我們知道我們的朋友都有自己的缺點，但總體上說都是我們喜歡的，令人愉快的人，然而，我們發現，我們無法忍受他們用同樣的態度來對待我們。我們奢求在他們的心中，我們不像別人，我們是完美無瑕的人。當我們被迫承認自己並不完美時，我們把這一明顯的事實看得過於嚴重。沒有人應該期待自己是完美的，也沒有必要因這一事實而過分煩惱。

Persecution mania is always rooted in a too exaggerated conception of our own merits。 I am， we will say， a playwright； to every unbiased person it must be obvious that I am the most brilliant playwright of the age。 Nevertheless， for some reason， my plays are seldom performed， and when they are， they are not successful。 What is the explanation of this strange state of affairs？ Obviously that managers， actors， and critics have combined against me for one reason or another。 The reason， of course， is highly creditable to myself： I have refused to kow-tow to the great ones of the theatrical world； I have not flattered the critics； my plays contain home truths which are unbearable to those whom they hit。 And so my transcendent merit languishes unrecognised。

被迫害妄想症的根源始終在於對自我價值的過分誇大。比如，我們會說：我是一個劇作家，對每一個毫無偏見的人來說，顯而易見，我就是當今時代最傑出的劇作家。不過，由於某些原因，我的戲劇很少上演，即使上演了，也未能獲得成功。

這種奇怪的現象該如何解釋？很明顯，那些經理們、演員們，以及吹毛求疵的劇評家們已經因為這樣或那樣的理由聯合起來對付我！當然，這一理由對我來說是完全可信的：我拒絕向那些戲劇界 的大人物們卑躬屈膝；我從不阿諛奉承那些劇評家們；我的戲劇所包含的事實刺痛了那些無法承受真相的人。所以，我超塵拔俗的天資就這樣被忽略了，無法得到承認。

Then there is the inventor who has never been able to get anyone to examine the merits of his invention； manufacturers are set in their ways and will not consider any innovation， while the few who are progressive keep inventors of their own， who succeed in warding off the intrusions of unauthorised genius； the learned societies， strangely enough， lose one’s manuscripts or return them unread； individuals to whom one appeals are unaccountably unresponsive。 How is such a state of affairs to be explained？ Obviously there is a close corporation of men who wish to divide among themselves the plums to be obtained by means of invention； the man who does not belong to this close corporation will not be listened to。

還有些發明家，從沒有人關注他的發明成果：製造商因循守舊，只知按自己的老方法組織生產，不考慮任何創新；少數幾個比較開明的則擁有他們自己的發明家，那些尚未得到認可的天才們無門可入；而那些學會團體說來真奇怪，要麼把人家的手稿給弄丟了，要麼就是根本沒閱讀就原封不動地退還回去；另外那些收到懇求的個人則不加解釋地毫無回覆。

到底該怎麼解釋這種情況？很顯然，有一些聯絡密切的團體，他們希望在自己內部分享由發明得來的利益，對於並不屬於他們這個小團體的人則毫不關注。

Then there is the man who has a genuine grievance founded upon actual fact， but who generalises in the light of his experience and arrives at the conclusion that his own misfortune affords the key to the universe； he discovers， let us say， some scandal about the Secret Service which it is to the interest of the Government to keep dark。 He can obtain hardly any publicity for his discovery， and the most apparently high-minded men refuse to lift a finger to remedy the evil which fills him with indignation。 So far the facts are as he says they are。 But his rebuffs have made such an impression upon him that he believes all powerful men to be occupied wholly and solely in covering up the crimes to which they owe their power。 Cases of this kind are particularly obstinate， owing to the partial truth of their outlook； the thing that has touched them personally has made， as is natural， more impression upon them than the much larger number of matters of which they have had no direct experience。 This gives them a wrong sense of proportion， and causes them to attach undue importance to facts which are perhaps exceptional rather than typical。

還有一種人，他們事實上的確承受了不公，但他們僅僅依據自己的經驗進行分析就輕易得出結論：他自己的不幸遭遇正提供了一把了解宇宙所有真相的鑰匙，那就是，比如說，他發現了因關係到政府利益而被封鎖起來的有關政府秘密部門的醜聞。他幾乎找不到任何宣傳機構公佈他的發現，並且那些表面上最高貴的人都不願動一根手指來糾正令他心中充滿憤怒的罪惡。

就目前來說，事實的確如他所說。但權利人士的漠不關心讓他產生了這樣的印象，那就是他相信所有的權力人士都在忙著一件事——遮掩他們利用手中權力所犯下的罪惡，而正是在這些罪惡的基礎上，他們才得以擁有他們的權力。

這種情況確實很難解決，這是因為他們的觀點中有部分的真實性。對於那些他曾親自接觸過的事情，比之他不曾直接經歷過的，他自然會有更深刻的印象。這讓他們分不清輕重，也使得他們過分關注一些偶然的事例，而忽略或排斥那些典型的事例。

Another not uncommon victim of persecution mania is a certain type of philanthropist who is always doing good to people against their will， and is amazed and horrified that they display no gratitude。 Our motives in doing good are seldom as pure as we imagine them to be。 Love of power is insidious； it has many disguises， and is often the source of the pleasure we derive from doing what we believe to be good to other people。 Not infrequently， yet another element enters in。 “Doing good” to people generally consists in depriving them of some pleasure： drink， or gambling， or idleness， or what not。 In this case there is an element which is typical of much social morality， namely envy of those who are in a position to commit sins from which we have to abstain if we are to retain the respect of our friends。 Those who vote， let us say， for law against cigarette smoking （such laws exist， or existed， in several American States） are obviously non-smokers to whom the pleasure which others derive from tobacco is a source of pain。 If they expect those who were previously cigarette fiends to come in a deputation and thank them for emancipation from this odious vice， it is possible that they may be disappointed。 They may then begin to reflect that they have given their lives for the public good， and that those who have most reason for thanking them for their beneficent activities appear to be the least aware of any occasion for gratitude。

另一種常見的被迫害妄想症的受害者是某種型別的慈善家，他總是做些違背了對方意願，人家並不願接受的善事，而在未能收穫對方感恩之時又覺得迷惑而可怕。

我們行善的動機很少像我們想象的那麼純潔。權力之愛總是暗中為害，它有許多偽裝形式，並且常常成為我們自以為對人行善時的快樂之源。

並不罕見的是，這裡又摻雜了另一個因素。對他人“做善事”總體上意味著剝奪了他們的某些快樂，比如飲酒、賭博、偷懶等等。在這種情況下，就會有一種典型的社會道德因素，即嫉妒那些 可以犯錯誤的人，而我們如果想要保留朋友們的尊敬，則必須要遠離這罪惡。

又比如說，那些投票支援禁菸（這類法律在美國的幾個州存在或曾經存在過）的人顯然是不抽菸的，對他們來說，別人從吸菸中得到的快樂恰恰是他們痛苦的來源。如果他們希望那些以前吸菸的人派代表來感謝他們幫助自己遠離了這一惡習，那很可能他們會失望的。於是，他們可能開始這麼想，他們已經把自己的生活都奉獻給了公共利益，而那些最有理由對他們的善行表示感謝的人卻好像對於感恩的理由知道的最少。

One used to find the same kind of attitude on the part of mistresses towards domestic servants whose morals they safe-guarded。 But is these days the servant problem has become so acute that this form of kindness to maids has become less common。

人們過去常常在家庭主婦身上發現同樣的情況，她們對家裡的僕人的道德觀念負有保護責任。但現在僕傭的問題變得非常尖銳，主婦們對女僕的這種善意行為已經變得很少見了。