delusion
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delusion
A pathological, uncorrectable belief that contradicts reality and that a person holds on to even though there is evidence to the contrary. It is often a symptom of a mental illness.
Er litt unter der Wahnvorstellung, dass seine Nachbarn ihn ausspionieren.
He suffered from the delusion that his neighbors were spying on him.
The word consists of 'der Wahn' (delusion, madness) and 'die Vorstellung' (idea, conception). So it describes an idea based on a delusion.
Seine Eifersucht entwickelte sich zu einer krankhaften Wahnvorstellung.
His jealousy developed into a pathological delusion.
This noun is often used with the verbs 'haben' (to have) or 'leiden an/unter' (to suffer from). You 'hat' a 'Wahnvorstellung' (delusion), or you 'leidet an' Wahnvorstellungen (suffer from delusions).
Der Patient leidet seit Jahren an Wahnvorstellungen.
The patient has been suffering from delusions for years.
The content of the delusion is very often explained with a subordinate clause beginning with 'dass' (that). The structure is: 'die Wahnvorstellung haben, dass ...' (to have the delusion that ...).
Sie hatte die feste Wahnvorstellung, dass sie von allen beobachtet wird.
She had the fixed delusion that she was being watched by everyone.
Although the term comes from psychology, it is also used colloquially to describe a person's completely irrational and uncorrectable idea.
Sein Plan, ohne Geld um die Welt zu reisen, grenzt an eine Wahnvorstellung.
His plan to travel around the world without money borders on a delusion.
hallucination
Halluzination and Wahnvorstellung can both involve a departure from reality. A Halluzination is a perception without a corresponding external stimulus, such as hearing a sound; a Wahnvorstellung, by contrast, is a false, unshakable belief. The key distinction is therefore between perceiving something and firmly believing something to be true.
Die Patientin hielt trotz aller Beweise an der Wahnvorstellung fest, verfolgt zu werden.
Despite all the evidence, the patient held on to the delusion that she was being followed.
Die Patientin hörte während der Halluzination eine Stimme, obwohl niemand im Raum war.
During the hallucination, the patient heard a voice even though no one was in the room.
