Harmless Delusions—Not to Be Blamed...

The Asahi Shimbun Morning Edition, February 20, 1999

I remember visiting a psychiatric hospital back when I was a student. A gentleman with an intellectual air approached me and said, “I’m a first-class architect. I designed all the famous buildings in the city. Someday, I’ll construct something taller than the Empire State Building. Well, make sure you study hard,” and then walked away. His presence and confidence were so compelling that I wondered, “Why would such a great architect be in a psychiatric hospital?” A nurse quietly whispered to me, “He has delusions of grandeur.”

Delusions of grandeur or wish-fulfilling fantasies usually don’t cause anxiety for the person experiencing them. They’re often full of self-confidence, and it’s actually those around them who may feel stressed or uneasy. It’s the opposite of paranoid delusions, where someone who’s been bullied begins to see everyone as an enemy.

What would happen if a man claiming to be Don Juan, the prince of love, appeared in modern-day New York? In the film Don Juan DeMarco (1995), Johnny Depp plays such a man. Heartbroken after losing the love of his life, he climbs a building and threatens to jump. He’s talked down by a psychiatrist, played by Marlon Brando.

The psychiatrist is just ten days from retirement and begins his final case. Depp's character starts recounting, in vivid detail, his romantic adventures with over 1,500 women. The stories are so enchanting, they make you think, “If only it were true.” At first, the psychiatrist dismisses it all as delusion—but gradually, he starts to believe. Though confused about what’s real, he rediscovers his own romantic feelings toward his wife, played by Faye Dunaway.

Whether it's fantastical lies or delusions of grandeur, there's a danger when repeated stories start to be accepted as “truth” and begin to influence others. Still, some argue that if a delusion doesn't harm the person or those around them, then perhaps there's no real problem.

Take the classic film Miracle on 34th Street, which has been remade many times—it almost convinces you that Santa Claus really exists. And really, would any adult ever scold a child just for believing in Santa?