Paranoia

In AIS class this past week, I've noticed a certain human flaw constantly presenting itself. Paranoia.
In The Crucible, Danforth reasoned, when speaking of witchcraft, that since only the witch and the victim witness an act of dark magic, and the witch wouldn't turn herself in,  "we must rely upon her victims" (93). This train of thought seemed pretty reasonable to me, but this relies on the goodhearted honesty of the people of this society. And in such a Christian society as was known in Salem, it would seem that nobody would lie for fear of going straight to Hell. However, in the book, even the most innocent and pure of people, such as Elizabeth Proctor, were being accused of witchcraft. The fact that only uncovering a supposed witch could take the public eye off of oneself, spun this system backwards. Suddenly, everyone was being accused, thus obviously causing widespread panic and paranoia. Seems realistic, right?
In class, we later discussed how a country declares war, and I learned that Congress finances a war and can therefore cut off finances. However, Congress doesn't often do this because they are concerned they will be accused of 'not supporting the troops'. Again, paranoia!
It is such a reasonable, human response. Throughout history, people have cowered in fear of accusations. I wonder what can stop this constant worry, which inevitably leads to rash, defensive decisions. Is a purely honest society the only  thing that can save humanity from its PARANOIA? AHHH!!!