December 3, 2008
Truman Syndrome: 21st century plague?
More and more people in the world believe their life is nothing more than a reality show –surroundings are just decorations, events are script-written and staged, and people around are actors. Psychologists say this delusion named ‘Truman Syndrome’ has become the ‘syndrome of the 21st century.’ Russia Today reports.
Joel and Ian Gold have dubbed the phenomenon two years ago, referring to a 1998 film, ‘
The Truman Show’, in which the main character realises his whole life is a TV show broadcasted 24/7.Britain’s The Daily Telegraph daily cites them as saying “The self-exposure, instant fame, culture peddled by reality shows, social networking internet sites such as Facebook and – above all – the home video-sharing website YouTube, has provided a "perfect storm" for vulnerable people, encouraging them to put their fantasies on a global stage.”
At the same time, the researchers do not claim that it is “a new form of mental illness” or “these people would be well if there was no YouTube.”
The Gold brothers say the delusion is difficult to treat, as those who suffer it are sure they can trust no one, and that their doctors are actors too.
Read full article.
The Permanent Link to this page is: http://www.textually.org/tv/archives/2008/12/021931.htm
| Tweet |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||
