Young children often believe that they have special or secret powers. It is difficult to know whether they get this idea from movies and TV or whether it is an innate childhood belief. Some experts maintain that the superhero belief gives youngsters a sense of control and assists them in developing patience, helpfulness, and confidence in their own abilities.
However, if you believe that you have superhuman powers as an adult, it can be a sign that you are suffering from delusions of grandeur. This is recognized as delusional behavior. For example, it may take the form of believing that you are secretly the heir to the throne or a celebrity in disguise. Unfortunately, these delusions can last a long time.
One psychiatric journal reported the case of a man who was convinced for 25 years that he was “an internationally renowned secret agent” who had managed to change global military strategy when he was only eight years old. In addition, he was able to direct the maneuvers of the US Army by the power of his mind alone. Oh, and he single-handedly coordinated Kuwait’s liberation.
This man even convinced his wife and child that he was a kind of supercharged James Bond. It was considered to be a case of folie a trois, in which three individuals share the same delusional beliefs.
The man claimed to have been paid over $100 million for his efforts by grateful countries. Unfortunately, when he tried to withdraw the money, the bank denied that the funds existed.
When foreign countries approached him for his intelligence-gathering abilities, he rebuffed them. In retaliation, they used their influence to refuse him planning permission on his house. At least that’s the way he saw it.
Although the delusions can seem ludicrous to outsiders, it is thought that sufferers genuinely believe them to be true. They are unable to tell the difference between fantasy and reality even while they are falsifying “proof” for the benefit of other people.
It is thought that the condition may sometimes be a symptom of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.