The psychodynamics and clinical phenomenology of the paranoid position are related to the phenomenon of the paranoid political actor. The paranoid political actor's interaction with the environment has characteristics of a self-fulfilling prophecy, for his defensive aggression ultimately creates a genuinely hostile environment which he at first only delusively fears. While the flagrant paranoid is usually recognized as ill, the unrecognized paranoid can be highly effective as a leader. The degree and scope of his effectiveness depends on his political skill and the receptiveness of the polity. When the frame of reference is transcendent, and the skilled paranoid political actor finds a receptive polity, the destructive charismatic leader-follower relationship ensues.