Cultural influences on delusion.

The nature and content of delusions were studied among 51 schizophrenic patients. The most common delusions in order of frequency were delusions of persecution, religious, magic, ideas of reference, passivity feelings and grandeur. The beliefs of the head of the family, or his equivalent, did not contribute directly to the content. It was concluded that the general cultural beliefs, rather than the immediate environment, play a dominant role in determining the contents of delusion.