Joseph Stalin's Paranoid Personality Disorder In Othello

482 Words2 Pages

Joseph Stalin was the former secretary general of Russia during the Russian revolution in 1971. He exhibited all the characteristics of a person who has paranoid personality disorder. He did not trust anyone around him, even his closest allies. He over analyzed and became very paranoid over any interactions or conversations. Nobody could oppose his ideas and suggestions. This personality disorder has been said to have played a large part in his lack of mercy and brutal ways. Nonetheless, as seen in the play Othello by William Shakespeare, Othello shows some of the same symptoms that suggest he has paranoid personality disorder. Othello is also said to have this disorder because he meets its criteria, he suspects, without sufficient basis, that others are exploiting, harming, or deceiving him; he is preoccupied with unjustified doubts about the loyalty or trustworthiness of friends or associates, and reads hidden demeaning or threatening meanings into benign remarks or events. …show more content…

Also, according to the DSM-5, people with this disorder think that other people are trying to exploit them behind their back, and have excessive suspicions and hostility. Additionally, people with this disorder may experience very brief psychotic episodes lasting minutes or even hours. Furthermore, according to the DSM-5, individuals that hold political and economical titles and have different ethnic backgrounds may also be associated with paranoid personality disorder. As seen in the play Othello, the Moor general Othello meets many criteria to support his diagnosis with this