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Dabrowski’s theory and existential depression (2020)

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Re: Dabrowski’s theory and existential depression (2020)

#11

Post by stared »

> It has been my experience that gifted and talented persons are more likely than those who are less gifted to experience spontaneous existential depression as an outgrowth of their mental and emotional abilities and interactions with others.

I read it a while ago. While my initial reaction was "relatable", later I started getting doubts. Is it that talented people are more prone to depression (e.g. due to social isolation) or that their depression channels into existential/philosophical more often (this sounds even more plausible)? In both cases, I would love to see some numbers.

The only thing I know that might support a link thinker-depressed is this one: "A Wandering Mind Is an Unhappy Mind" (https://science.sciencemag.org/content/330/6006/932, PDF http://www.uvm.edu/pdodds/files/papers/others/everything/kil..., HN thread https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16797947)

As a side note, "talented/gifted" is usually considered synonymous with high intelligence. Yet, I bet that it is as strongly correlated with dedication (going to the levels of passion or obsession) and sensitivity. It might happen that it is not IQ that matters in terms of gifted people being depressed.

Re: Dabrowski’s theory and existential depression (2020)

#14

Post by sn41 »

I have read some material on how depression was viewed in history. There is at least some work in Christian theology on sloth/acedia which is not only laziness, but also has a lot of signs of what is called clinical depression [1].

While searching this, a very strange coincidence I have found is that the "demon" for sloth is the same as the demon who inspires people to make discoveries [2]. I speculate that the link between depression and creativity was recognized in antiquity.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acedia

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belphegor

Re: Dabrowski’s theory and existential depression (2020)

#15

Post by throwawaynumber »

nathias wrote: post #2

This type of depressive nihilism is just a reaction to the destruction of values, after that you can progress towards an optimistic nihilism, building your values on truth instead of lies.

trying to build my values on truth makes it impossible for me to reconcile any such built values with things like liberalism, equality, egalitarianism, religious beliefs of any kind, etc. Basically pick all the dearly adhered to values of the "left" and "right" in the English speaking west and tear them up and toss them into furnace.

It not a pleasant experience, especially in the culture war riven excessively online world of today, where it makes, to me, everyone who is left wing, right wing, Nazi, anarchist, liberal, egalitarian, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, [religious not ethnic] Jew, leftist, centrists, libertarian, classical liberal, conservative, BLM activists et al, proud boys et al, etc all existential foes on the grounds of fundamental moral truths.

Not a troll post.

Re: Dabrowski’s theory and existential depression (2020)

#16

Post by omegaBroom »

As someone who was (in my opinion wrongly) labeled gifted as a kid, I think this is because it comes with very high expectations and forces you to think about yourself and your actions all the time. Depression is basically self obsession. Life is only good when you forget about yourself. This is the same reason why social media drives depression as well.

Re: Dabrowski’s theory and existential depression (2020)

#17

Post by jgilias »

stared wrote: post #11

> It has been my experience that gifted and talented persons are more likely than those who are less gifted to experience spontaneous existential depression as an outgrowth of their mental and emotional abilities and interactions with others. I read it a while ago. While my initial reaction was "relatable", later I started getting doubts. Is it that talented people are more prone to depression (e.g. due to social iso…

I'm pretty sure you're unto something. When I think of the few really, really smart people that I happen to have encountered, they're all pretty laid back people. As in, it's like they've figured out the futility of it all long ago, settled on doing something they find interesting, and then sort of just flow through life.

So it seems more likely that pulling the short straw that makes you smart, but also having a personality type that compels you to do and fix things that would lead to people having issues with accepting that there is no inherent meaning to anything, it's all futile, and we're all gonna die sooner rather than later without having 'achieved' anything really.

Re: Dabrowski’s theory and existential depression (2020)

#18

Post by ZephyrBlu »

stared wrote: post #11

> It has been my experience that gifted and talented persons are more likely than those who are less gifted to experience spontaneous existential depression as an outgrowth of their mental and emotional abilities and interactions with others. I read it a while ago. While my initial reaction was "relatable", later I started getting doubts. Is it that talented people are more prone to depression (e.g. due to social iso…

> As a side note, "talented/gifted" is usually considered synonymous with high intelligence. Yet, I bet that it is as strongly correlated with dedication (going to the levels of passion or obsession) and sensitivity. It might happen that it is not IQ that matters in terms of gifted people being depressed.

I don't think this works. If you look at the strengths/weaknesses chart, there's no way that just passion or obsession matches the strengths or comes with the weaknesses.

Chart: https://dnnlv5ifs.blob.core.windows.net/portals/2/DB/Images/...

Re: Dabrowski’s theory and existential depression (2020)

#19

Post by jgilias »

ZephyrBlu wrote: post #18
stared wrote: post #11

> It has been my experience that gifted and talented persons are more likely than those who are less gifted to experience spontaneous existential depression as an outgrowth of their mental and emotional abilities and interactions with others. I read it a while ago. While my initial reaction was "relatable", later I started getting doubts. Is it that talented people are more prone to depression (e.g. due to social iso…

> As a side note, "talented/gifted" is usually considered synonymous with high intelligence. Yet, I bet that it is as strongly correlated with dedication (going to the levels of passion or obsession) and sensitivity. It might happen that it is not IQ that matters in terms of gifted people being depressed. I don't think this works. If you look at the strengths/weaknesses chart, there's no way that just passion or obse…

I think the parent comment doesn't say that 'giftedness' is just passion, rather that out of the two axis that would make someone gifted (smart, dedicated), it's the second one that carries a higher risk in getting depressed.

Re: Dabrowski’s theory and existential depression (2020)

#20

Post by joshgree88 »

stared wrote: post #11

> It has been my experience that gifted and talented persons are more likely than those who are less gifted to experience spontaneous existential depression as an outgrowth of their mental and emotional abilities and interactions with others. I read it a while ago. While my initial reaction was "relatable", later I started getting doubts. Is it that talented people are more prone to depression (e.g. due to social iso…

"Persons with heightened overexcitabilities in one or more of the five areas that Dabrowski listed—intellectual, emotional, imaginational, psychomotor, and sensual—perceive reality in a different, more intense, multifaceted manner."
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