Scepticism is the driving force behind a sceptical person’s assessment of their surroundings, with no basis for this scepticism other than conjecture and their inherently sceptical nature, which is not grounded in fact; They also interpret the actions of others as hostile or contemptuous, and believe that those around them wish to harm them. They also believe that others fail to see what is being plotted against them, and do not take responsibility for their own suspicions but instead attribute them to others.

In the same vein, they employ the defence mechanism of projection, meaning they attribute to others the very traits they cannot accept in themselves.