Pronoia

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /pɹəʊˈnɔɪə/

Definitions

1. A mental state characterized by the perception that the universe is intentionally favoring an individual through positive experiences and coincidences
2. A viewpoint where one interprets events and encounters as being orchestrated for their benefit, leading to a sense of universal support
3. A psychological condition in which a person believes that all events and circumstances are designed to favor them, resulting in an optimistic outlook on life

Etymology: A Greek word for divine providence was reinvented in 1981 by a sociologist who had no thought of the gods. He was simply turning paranoia inside out, and he landed almost exactly where the ancients had been. The older word is Greek "prónoia", "foresight, forethought", built from "prónoos", "careful, prudent", which joins "pro-", "before", to "nóos", "mind". For the Stoic philosophers it named the rational providence that orders the cosmos for the good, the conviction that the universe is arranged, down to its details, with care. Roman writers took the word over as "pronoea". In Cicero's dialogue "On the Nature of the Gods", an Epicurean speaker mocks the Stoics' Pronoea as a fortune-telling old woman. Centuries later the same word took on a practical meaning in the Byzantine Empire. There a pronoia was a grant of revenue from land, given to a soldier or official in exchange for service. English scholars borrowed the Greek term for both ideas. The modern sense has a different origin. In August 1981 the American sociologist Fred H. Goldner presented a paper at the annual meeting of the Society for the Study of Social Problems, and a version appeared under the title "Pronoia" in the journal Social Problems in October 1982. He had built the word from "pro-" and the tail of "paranoia". If paranoia is the conviction that others are conspiring against you, its mirror image is the conviction that they are quietly working in your favour. Goldner was describing a social misperception, not recommending it. The irony sits in the roots. "Paranoia" is Greek too: "para-", "beside, amiss", plus the same "nóos", a mind gone astray. By swapping one prefix, Goldner rebuilt, without needing to, a word Greek had possessed for more than two thousand years. Later writers dropped his clinical tone. The astrologer Rob Brezsny's 2005 book "Pronoia Is the Antidote for Paranoia", subtitled "How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings", turned it into a cheerful creed: the universe is on your side. That is very nearly what the Stoics meant by providence.

Synonyms: optimism, benevolence, providence, hopefulness, positive thinking

Antonyms: paranoia, pessimism, distrust, cynicism, skepticism