Definition of Suspicion – What it is, Meaning and Concept

Before entering fully into the term we are dealing with, we are going to proceed to know its etymological origin. In this sense, we can underline that it derives from Latin and that it is made up of three differentiated parts:
-The prefix “sub-”, which can be translated as “below”.
-The verb “specere”, which is synonymous with “look”.
-The suffix “-ia”, which is used to indicate “quality”.

Suspicion is the condition wave property of that or that which results suspicious (adjective that refers to someone who is distrustful or tends to be suspicious). The concept also mentions the thought that is born from a suspicion or of suspicion.

For instance: “The attitude of the governor generated suspicions in the president”, “I think local merchants look at the new supermarket with suspicion as they fear it will monopolize all sales”, “The journalist made several observations about the new law with great suspicion”.

Take the case of the owner of a company that, suddenly, change your attitude in front of employees. Before, he was always present in the workplace, conversing with workers and sharing corporate projects with them. Now, he only goes to the company once a week and locks himself in his office, without speaking to anyone. This new behavior arouses suspicions in the workers, who distrust the owner’s position and fear that there will be negative changes in the company.

In a similar sense, if a government facing criticism and protests over insecurity, disseminates statistics that mention a supposed fall in crime, will arouse suspicions in the population. Citizens may think that the statistics are false and that the government announcement is nothing more than a lie to reassure people and defuse the adverse weather.

Being suspicions, suspicions they are not always confirmed. In our previous examples, the change in attitude of the business owner may be due to a family problem rather than an employment issue, while the government statistics may be real and the unsafety, effectively, be regressing.

Within the scope of what is psychology, we have to highlight the existence of some type of disorder that is precisely characterized, among many other things, because those who suffer from it have a certain level of suspicion regarding other individuals. We are referring, for example, to what is known as paranoid personality disorder.

Specifically, men and women who have the same are clearly identified by the fact that they show a very high pattern of suspicion and mistrust towards others, so much so that they always think that the deeds and words that they perform hide a clear malicious intent.

But not only that. They also believe that outsiders want to take advantage of them, they always doubt the loyalty of their friends, they constantly question the fidelity of their partners and also identify themselves because they tend to be very spiteful. All this without overlooking the fact that they are not capable of recognizing that they have made mistakes.

The result of all this is that, due to these high levels of suspicion that they have, they present serious problems to relate.