Extreme overvalued beliefs by Tahir Rahman (Hardcover)

An extreme overvalued belief is one that is shared by others in a person's cultural, religious, or subcultural group. The belief is often relished, amplified, and defended by the possessor of the belief and should be differentiated from an obsession or a delusion. The belief grows more dominant over time, more refined and more resistant to challenge. The individual has an intense emotional commitment to the belief and may carry out violent behavior in its service. Carl Wernicke first described overvalued ideas. Paul R. McHugh invoked overvalued ideas as a thought shared by others in a society or culture and capable of provoking dominant behaviors in its service. Dr. Hagop Akiskal stated that the definitive test (of a delusion vs overvalued idea) is whether an unusual belief is shared by members of the patient's subculture (overvalued ideas are fanatically maintained notions, such as superiority of one sex, nation, or race)