Intellectualization: The Smart Person's Defense Mechanism

[@aryan_5271]

The problems of life seem easier to solve through intellectualization.

[@artemijszarovs3698]

I feel personally attacked

[@zeropat7776]

Go intellectualize it then.

[@devilsadvocacy]

I for one know that I don’t make my best decisions when I’m in a heightened emotional state. Which is why I’ve learned to regulate my emotions. If you don’t control your emotions, they control you

[@VinOptimaxxx]

You talk about emotional detachment as if it's a bad thing. I witness people being guided by their emotions regularly, and it's not pretty.

[@nasarjafri7611]

Yes that's true but emotional distance doesn't solve the actual problem at hands, it leads to strained relationships and an inability feel joy in life. Turning off your emotions is a short term solution to problem that will haunt you for the rest of your life.

[@VinOptimaxxx]

@@nasarjafri7611 I disagree but I guess everyone's personal experiences are different.

[@sergiogodinez3770]

Intellectualization could become a problem if it's the only form of dealing with situations fraught with emotions. Problems might get solved and external drama avoided, but emotions are an important part of the human experience and they require priority time as well. For example, intellectualization when raising children can lead to emotional unavailability by the parents. From personal experience, I can tell you that this is severely hurtful and leaves long-lasting damage. Even though my parents superficially solved all my problems and I never wanted for anything material or financial, I was extremely lonely and depressed for most of my twenties, and still had major insecurities throughout my thirties, until I decided to get some help and start enacting change. Guess what the solution involved? Facing the emptions I had avoided for so long!

[@hwonitojv9503]

Its the ability to Make decisions despite the emotions

[@LordBrittish]

There are those who strive for emotional detachment. Certain religious sects? Jedi?

[@user-CAB]

When I got bladder cancer, I felt fear. So I went to Taber’s and the internet, found out what it is, how it’s treated, what can cause it, outcomes, prognosis, and I felt a sense of control. This is what I do because I do not enjoy being in a state of chaotic fear. Don’t really see a downside. Some people didn’t like the character of Mr. Spock on Star Trek. Hey, he was ok with me.

[@3-Minute-Psychology]

I'm sorry to hear you got bladder cancer. Wishing you the best! 🙏

[@user-CAB]

@@3-Minute-Psychology thanks. That was 13 years ago, so far hasn’t resurfaced.

[@bparcej6233]

Thinking moderates feelings….a good thing…balance.

[@The-Overlord81]

Reason and logic are the optimal choice

[@renatocorreaarrieche]

Emotions just cause more trouble and can blur reason.

[@user-ns8ht6iu4p]

Hands up if you watched this video to work out the weaknesses of intellectualising so you can more effectively address them

[@Eric-qh7is]

I think the extreme versions of this personality can be bad but moderate makes for a good individual

[@MikeMann896]

So we should not think? This argument can’t stand. More used is the refusal to have a rational discussion.

[@noveltycrusade]

Sounds about right 👍

[@peepeepoopoovdbhxvbcc6683]

The worst part about this mechanism (as is displayed very evidently in this comments section) is that it’s probably one of the easiest mechanisms to pass off as normal and even superior 🤦‍♂️ It is funny because if someone is actually intelligent they will consider the possibility that they need to allow their emotions to guide their decisions sometimes, as I’ve found out.

[@ErikPhantessi]

All emotions stem from a persoective about how the world works and what a person values. So, if you propose a person not solve their emotional issues through intellect, how then should they solve their emotional issues?

[@NaIn-cu8zz]

An intelligent person loves men and women who know how to act. I'm waiting for all the apps. All of them. And they're all coming together. No need for any video game play unless. I hope the apps are closed by 31st of this month July. Thank you.

[@asdfg1346on]

Isnt this like superior to defense mechanisms because its not cope?

[@shiptj01]

What about reading a book so that I don't have to talk to anyone?

[@barryday9352]

Anybody else find that writing hand distracting?

[@Curtainsrail105]

This is a good thing though

[@danthedoozy9472]

Looking at things rationally is good as long as you also allow the emotions to process.

[@teejaylecapois9741]

Spock

[@deshrektives]

Stop using A.I.-generated thumbnails.

[@3-Minute-Psychology]

Why?

[@deshrektives]

@@3-Minute-Psychology Well, there are plenty of reasons: Normalization of lack of consent and theft-Models like Stable Diffusion and Midjourney were trained on data from millions of artists and photographers who didn’t consent and weren’t compensated. I doubt the reason they spent their lives crafting beautiful images was for the goal of having their vocation stolen by machines. Opportunity cost-The use of A.I. thumbnails takes the opportunity to create a thumbnail away from a human artist, which costs the artist potential funding to continue pursuing their craft, or potential human connection, or potential recognition, or any number of other opportunities that make the creation process worthwhile. Meaning crisis-When we look at an extremely well-crafted image (e.g., stained-glass windows in a Cathedral or Renaissance paintings of Bible scenes) we are forced to ask, “Why did they believe in the meaning behind this image so fervently that they toiled to express it this beautifully?” In exactly the same way, a beautiful KZbin thumbnail makes us say, “Wow, they really have something important to say, evidenced by the fact that they put a lot of effort into making sure people don’t scroll past this!” If a beautiful image only takes a few sentences to create, this system is broken, forever. Beauty begins to lose its mystique, and begins to become worthless. Our society already dumps on artists so much. Why do this, too?

[@deshrektives]

@@3-Minute-Psychology First of all, thanks for taking my request seriously and engaging with me here. Second, great video! After watching it, I feel like I still have a lot to learn about intellectualization, but I get that it was just a primer. From now on, it will be a fun challenge to try to catch myself and my friends intellectualizing in unhealthy ways. More to the point, I wrote you a reply explaining why all KZbinrs should stop using A.I.-generated thumbnails, but it seems to have been deleted. My friends and I have noticed that various automated censorship systems (daily reminder that the fact these even exist is horrifying) seem to have been deleting a lot of anti-A.I. KZbin comments almost immediately. I thought that maybe my comment was just being held for approval, but it’s been almost 24 hours. If you deleted it yourself, well, this is your platform, so I guess I have no right to complain.

[@3-Minute-Psychology]

​@@deshrektives Hi, sorry your reply isn't showing. I'm not sure why. I can see your reply on my backend and I haven't removed it personally. I considered replying to your points and I do take them seriously. Of course, I obviously landed at a different conclusion to you, but it doesn't mean I haven't thought through the points you made in good faith. In fact, I hated AI when it first came out, passionately. I came to my position after my previous livelihood (I ran a psychology blog) was smashed by AI interrupting the blogging industry... after which, I became rather more fatalistic (realistic?) about it all. I quit my job 6 years ago when my blog started making me enough money to make a living. Then AI destroyed the blogging industry, and frankly, 6 years out of the workforce made me rather unemployable. So, after a lot of angst, I decided I could either complain that AI had taken my livelihood from me, or I could see how I could leverage it to see if I can somehow get by in a slightly more dystopian world. The videos here are basically re-packaging of my old website's blog posts. I see myself as that under-employed creator you discussed - at the core of the videos, it's my ideas about psychology that I'm wanting to share, and to share them on KZbin, I have sought some ways to create simple visuals (remember, this channel isn't even big enough to be monetized yet). It's a systemic issue. As with most things, like climate change, I think being annoyed at individuals trying to get by within the system isn't the right way about it. (Maybe you also drive an electric car, and maybe you also get annoyed at meat-eaters and people who drive gas powered cars for contributing to climate change, but I think likely you recognize in those contexts that we're all just trying to get by in a less-than-ideal system we didn't design). I know we came to different conclusions, but I still worry about the same things you're worried about.

[@deshrektives]

@@3-Minute-Psychology I totally get where you’re coming from. Respectfully, I don’t think climate change is a good comparison. It’s a highly complicated and deeply entrenched feedback system with roots that go pretty far back in time. You can try to save the environment by buying an electric car, but you then get into complex issues like, “Is funding the increased mining of rare Earth metals really a net gain for the environment? What about the lifecycle emissions of this whole production process?” A.I. is a much simpler issue. No one needs to use A.I., and if you use fewer A.I. images, there are fewer A.I. images. Anyway, I enjoyed reading your story, and I sincerely hope you can find your way back to psychology education success. Here goes another attempt to post my original reply:

[@amanda-clairebennett6132]

YEAH SO TRUE, I AM SO SMART BUT NEVER AVAILABLE FOR ANYBODY....AND ITS GREAT