I’ve seen and heard people saying that they are doing it and often they imply it’s not something good. I’ve mostrly seen it in context of therapy and psychology.
From what i understood, this concept is a sort of false defence because it makes you feel worse or act unhealthy. But I fail to understand how it happens and what exactly in it makes it not good. Can someone explain?
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Its one of Sigmund Freud’s original defense mechanisms:
>Freud believed that memories have both conscious and unconscious aspects, and that intellectualization allows for the conscious analysis of an event in a way that does not provoke anxiety.[3]
However through updated brain scans we’ve since learned the emotional state arrives first, and any thoughts come afterwards(as a result, not the cause). They don’t go anywhere as they’re not in error or dysfunction to ignore or dismiss, but a warning light to follow to a lacking need(in the case of negative ones). Needs met = positive emotions.
It’s good and bad. You can use it to understand your emotions better or you can use it to avoid them. Coping with emotions we don’t like can be hindered by attempts to write them off with logic, but just like “facts don’t care about your feelings”, your feelings don’t care about the facts. So you can use “intellectualizing” to actually cope in a healthy manner, to feel better about feeling them in the first place. It seems circular, but it’s about perspective.
If you are having difficulty processing your emotions, find a good CBT based licensed therapist (avoid religious or unlicensed “counselors” because Jesus isn’t going to help you understand yourself better). I think most people could benefit from therapy, but avoid it due to stigma.
It’s a defense mechanism. When we’re unable to deal with conflicting thoughts and emotions we’re finding ways to ignore them. Intellectualisation is one of those ways. It’s like a decoy we produce to pull attention away from uncomfortable bits of our mind.
Example: someone feels used in relationship but is afraid of conflict so instead of setting boundaries creates smart explanation of why it has to stay like it is. Intellectualisation allows them to avoid conflict between ‘I feel used’ and ‘I’m afraid of confrontation’.
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