Capgras delusion provides the diagnostic frame for Klein’s own doubling analysis

Evidence

In my doppelganger studies, I have learned that there is a real medical syndrome called Capgras delusion. Those who suffer from it become convinced that people in their lives—spouses, children, friends—have been replaced by replicas or doppelgangers. According to the film historian Paul Meehan, the discovery of the syndrome likely inspired sci-fi classics like Invasion of the Body Snatchers and The Stepford Wives. But what is it called when a society divides into two warring factions, both of which are convinced that the other has been replaced by doppelgangers? Is there a syndrome for that? Is there a solution? — Naomi Klein, Doppelganger, 365

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines Capgras delusion and explicitly recruits it as the central metaphor for political doubling.
• QUESTION: Klein poses whether a collective, societal Capgras exists — a question the device strains toward but may not fully resolve.
• XREF: Connects to the BMF-adjacent territory of Invasion of the Body Snatchers as a metaphor for political alienation from the community; also echoes the ‘Mirror World’ framing.