• ChronosTriggerWarning@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    “You think Einstein walked around thinkin’ everyone was a bunch of dumb shits?”

    I’m not even at 145 and would never compare myself to Einstein, but this quote has resonated SO HARD over the years.

    • Shelena@feddit.nl
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      5 months ago

      I am intellectually gifted (officially diagnosed by a psychologist and psychiatrist) and 90% of the time I feel like I am very dumb. The other 10% of the time I feel like other people are very dumb. That is why I did not believe I was actually gifted for a long time. Apparently, smart people are sometimes more aware of mistakes they make and things they do not know, which can result in them feeling dumb.

      Additionally, I am actually a quite dumb with practical stuff. It is boring, so I cannot concentrate on it and then I mess it up. I think that is also quite common.

      I do not think it is that black and white. IQ is just one way of looking at intelligence. If people are walking around feeling like everyone is dumber than they are all the time, they either have a very narrow view of intelligence, or they might lack self-awareness considering their own weaknesses.

      • OneMeaningManyNames@lemmy.ml
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        5 months ago

        IQ is a statistical construct devised by psychologists for a different purpose than it is used now. Perhaps don’t identify with an IQ caste leads to better well-being outcomes? It is a two way street.

        • Shelena@feddit.nl
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          5 months ago

          I agree with that. Part of the point that I was trying to make is that when you only consider IQ, you have a very narrow view of intelligence.

          When you consider intellectual giftedness, there are some definitions that just say you should have an IQ of above 130. However, there are also psychologists who consider it more like a complex syndrome with many attributes of which IQ is just one. The psychologist who worked with me had the latter view.

          The ‘diagnosis’ of intellectual giftedness helped me to understand myself better and to understand some of the issues I have. It explains how and why my brain works differently from most other people and why I run into problems sometimes because of that. That helps me to deal with it better. So, it can be important for people to know about their intellectual giftedness in the broad sense and it should not just be ignored in all cases.

          I do not think I view myself as belonging to an IQ caste or something like that. The word ‘caste’ suggests a hierarchy between people based on IQ. I disagree with that and I think people should not be considered worth more because of their IQ. However, at the same time, I tend to feel very bad about myself when I feel I am dumb. So, there is a bit of a discrepancy there between thinking and feeling that I need to work on. I should apply the idea of equal worth not only to others, but also myself, which I am working on. Apparently, I cannot just reason that feeling away.