Bpd and high intelligence
The Gift of Borderline Personality Disorder
Medically reviewed by Scientific Advisory Board — By Christine Hammond, MS, LMHC on June 28, 2020
A diagnosis for any type of Personality Disorder or mental health issue doesnt have to be a negative diagnosis. Often times such conditions are portrayed as only dangerous or detrimental to someones well-being, and while that may be part of the truth, it isnt necessarily the whole truth. The very thing that makes a person unique, special, or individual might just fit within one of the diagnostic codes part of a PD or other mental health concern. By definition, a diagnosis is a group of characteristics that deviate from the normal expression of a behavior or trait. The same could be said for someone with remarkably high intelligence or who performs at an above level standard. A gift of music or talent in sports is celebrated, but arent these also just traits in people that may function outside of the norm?
I would propose that every disorder can have some benefit. Depression can cause a person to turn inward and become more reflective or self-analytical, helping to release strong feelings of disappointment, grief, or rejection. In this way, depression can provide a very beneficial cleansing experience. Anxiety, when seen as a warning signal instead of something to fear, can heighten the senses and alert a person of impending danger, a triggered memory, or a potential overload. Used properly, anxiety can become a guiding friend instead of a tortured foe.
Of all the diagnoses that get a bad rap however, Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is the most frequently mistreated. Most of the articles, blogs, books, and videos about the disorder have a negative spin warning others to get away from anyone with these symptoms. Yet, there is a beauty to this disorder. A person with BPD will have a real, raw, natural vulnerability that is so unique and different from other people. Either by intention or not, most reality TV shows end up featuring a person with BPD because of this authentic openness.
Here are a few other gifts of this disorder that you may never have heard of.
- Highly self-aware. At any given moment, most people with BPD are profoundly aware of their feelings regardless of the natural conflict the differing emotions might possess. For instance, they might feel excited going to a party, rejected when they see someone who was unkind, abandoned when the person they came with engages with someone else, and happy when they meet a new person with common interests. No matter what or how much they may feel in such a short span of time, they can usually identify that feeling and be aware of how it affects them.
- Intense passion. The ability to feel and express intense passion for a person, art, literature, music, sports, food, dance and other areas of interest comes naturally to a person with BPD. In fact, they know no other way of living other than to engage fully in their craft. The idea that they have to take initiative to follow their passion is foreign because, for them, life is not worth living without it.
This makes for a driven and hard-working person. - Exciting and alive. When a person with BPD is engaged in their passion, they are thrilled to be around. Their natural excitement for doing their craft is so intoxicating that others want to contagiously absorb some of their enthusiasm. It is exhilarating and inspiring to see an athlete break a new record, a musician playing their instrument in ways unheard before, or a dancer perform unashamedly.
- Ability to sense the emotions of others. Another gifting of BPD is a keen awareness of the emotions of others. Oftentimes a person with BPD will sense an emotion such as anger from someone else that the person is ignorant or in denial of feeling. When this talent is combined with an intense passion for painting, for instance, a picture can reveal a mood that is obvious to the observer but oblivious to the model.
- Strong empathetic side. Because a person with BPD possesses the ability to sense the emotions of others, they also tend to absorb said emotions.
As such, not only are they walking in another persons shoes quite naturally, but they also are able to strongly empathize with those people. Actors/actresses who have BPD use this ability to enhance their performance and connect with their character at a deep level. - Powerful intimate connection. Two of the necessary ingredients to a deep intimate connection are an awareness of self and an ability to empathize with others. Without these, any attempt at intimacy is shallow and feels unsatisfactory to the recipient. Because a person with BPD has these two items in abundance, they tend to make powerful, whole-hearted, and unreserved connections very quickly, almost too quickly for other peoples level of comfort.
- A desire for the community. BPD is one of two personality disorders (the other is dependent) that fully appreciates and understands the need for others to be in their life. This is not a concept that needs any further explanation for them as they completely grasp the need for the community at a deep level.
Their perpetual fear of abandonment propels them to engage in relationships whether new or old.
The bottom line is this: dont dismiss anyone with BPD because of their disorder. Villainizing someone with any disorder is a mistake, but allowing the opinions of the media and other people to negatively alter your perception about those with BPD will only foster more misconceptions about them when there are already so many inaccurate descriptions circulating out there. Take the time to engage and learn from someone with BPD instead -they have so much to offer and can make life wonderful.
For more on this topic, you can watch the webinarThe Gifting of Borderline Personality Disorder.
The Gift of Borderline Personality Disorder
Medically reviewed by Scientific Advisory Board — By Christine Hammond, MS, LMHC on June 28, 2020
A diagnosis for any type of Personality Disorder or mental health issue doesnt have to be a negative diagnosis. Often times such conditions are portrayed as only dangerous or detrimental to someones well-being, and while that may be part of the truth, it isnt necessarily the whole truth.
The very thing that makes a person unique, special, or individual might just fit within one of the diagnostic codes part of a PD or other mental health concern. By definition, a diagnosis is a group of characteristics that deviate from the normal expression of a behavior or trait. The same could be said for someone with remarkably high intelligence or who performs at an above level standard. A gift of music or talent in sports is celebrated, but arent these also just traits in people that may function outside of the norm?
I would propose that every disorder can have some benefit. Depression can cause a person to turn inward and become more reflective or self-analytical, helping to release strong feelings of disappointment, grief, or rejection. In this way, depression can provide a very beneficial cleansing experience. Anxiety, when seen as a warning signal instead of something to fear, can heighten the senses and alert a person of impending danger, a triggered memory, or a potential overload.
Used properly, anxiety can become a guiding friend instead of a tortured foe.
Of all the diagnoses that get a bad rap however, Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is the most frequently mistreated. Most of the articles, blogs, books, and videos about the disorder have a negative spin warning others to get away from anyone with these symptoms. Yet, there is a beauty to this disorder. A person with BPD will have a real, raw, natural vulnerability that is so unique and different from other people. Either by intention or not, most reality TV shows end up featuring a person with BPD because of this authentic openness. Here are a few other gifts of this disorder that you may never have heard of.
- Highly self-aware. At any given moment, most people with BPD are profoundly aware of their feelings regardless of the natural conflict the differing emotions might possess. For instance, they might feel excited going to a party, rejected when they see someone who was unkind, abandoned when the person they came with engages with someone else, and happy when they meet a new person with common interests.
No matter what or how much they may feel in such a short span of time, they can usually identify that feeling and be aware of how it affects them. - Intense passion. The ability to feel and express intense passion for a person, art, literature, music, sports, food, dance and other areas of interest comes naturally to a person with BPD. In fact, they know no other way of living other than to engage fully in their craft. The idea that they have to take initiative to follow their passion is foreign because, for them, life is not worth living without it. This makes for a driven and hard-working person.
- Exciting and alive. When a person with BPD is engaged in their passion, they are thrilled to be around. Their natural excitement for doing their craft is so intoxicating that others want to contagiously absorb some of their enthusiasm. It is exhilarating and inspiring to see an athlete break a new record, a musician playing their instrument in ways unheard before, or a dancer perform unashamedly.
- Ability to sense the emotions of others. Another gifting of BPD is a keen awareness of the emotions of others. Oftentimes a person with BPD will sense an emotion such as anger from someone else that the person is ignorant or in denial of feeling. When this talent is combined with an intense passion for painting, for instance, a picture can reveal a mood that is obvious to the observer but oblivious to the model.
- Strong empathetic side. Because a person with BPD possesses the ability to sense the emotions of others, they also tend to absorb said emotions. As such, not only are they walking in another persons shoes quite naturally, but they also are able to strongly empathize with those people. Actors/actresses who have BPD use this ability to enhance their performance and connect with their character at a deep level.
- Powerful intimate connection. Two of the necessary ingredients to a deep intimate connection are an awareness of self and an ability to empathize with others.
Without these, any attempt at intimacy is shallow and feels unsatisfactory to the recipient. Because a person with BPD has these two items in abundance, they tend to make powerful, whole-hearted, and unreserved connections very quickly, almost too quickly for other peoples level of comfort. - A desire for the community. BPD is one of two personality disorders (the other is dependent) that fully appreciates and understands the need for others to be in their life. This is not a concept that needs any further explanation for them as they completely grasp the need for the community at a deep level. Their perpetual fear of abandonment propels them to engage in relationships whether new or old.
The bottom line is this: dont dismiss anyone with BPD because of their disorder. Villainizing someone with any disorder is a mistake, but allowing the opinions of the media and other people to negatively alter your perception about those with BPD will only foster more misconceptions about them when there are already so many inaccurate descriptions circulating out there.
Take the time to engage and learn from someone with BPD instead -they have so much to offer and can make life wonderful.
For more on this topic, you can watch the webinarThe Gifting of Borderline Personality Disorder.
Nine common traits of highly intelligent people
Today we will talk about the common traits of highly intelligent people. These features are of interest to scientists and are reflected in many psychological and sociological studies.
Adaptable
Smart people are flexible and can adapt well to different environments. They demonstrate effective behavioral strategies, regardless of the complexities and limitations. Psychologists believe that adapting to the environment is the key to understanding what intelligence is. For the most part, adaptation involves personal change, but it can also mean changing the environment or finding a new one. Effective adaptation relies on a range of cognitive processes such as perception, learning, memory, thinking, and problem solving.
Thus, the main emphasis in the definition of intelligence is that it is not a cognitive or mental process in itself, but rather a selective combination of these processes aimed at effective adaptation.
Understanding one's own limitations
Smart people are not afraid to say they don't know something or are unfamiliar with a certain concept. The experiments of Justin Krueger and David Dunning prove that the less educated a person is in any subject, the more he overestimates his cognitive abilities. And vice versa. People with a high level of knowledge tend to underestimate them. The Dunning-Kruger effect is a distorted perception of one's own abilities and knowledge. Obviously, the more we dive into the study of various concepts, the more we realize the limitations of our knowledge.
Insatiable curiosity
Curiosity is the driving force behind development. Here are two quotes from Albert Einstein that clearly reflect the relationship between curiosity and intelligence.
« It is important not to stop asking questions. Curiosity has its own reason for being. It is impossible not to feel awe when he contemplates the secrets of eternity, life, the amazing structure of reality. It is enough if someone tries to just comprehend a little of this secret every day ".
« I don't have any special talents. I'm only passionately curious about ."
A study published in 2016 found a correlation between openness to new experiences and intelligence. Openness is associated with a vivid imagination, a deep perception of aesthetics, susceptibility to one's own and others' emotions, and a willingness to explore political, social, and religious values.
Love of reading
Curiosity makes smart people enthusiastic readers. Reading contributes to the development of creativity and provides opportunities to learn and analyze human experience. American scientists from Rush University also came to the conclusion that reading helps to slow down the decline in cognitive functions in old age.
Those people who throughout their lives were fond of reading were less likely to become victims of dementia.
Openness
Smart people are open to new ideas and opportunities. They are willing to accept and consider other points of view and look for alternative solutions to a problem. People with high intelligence are less prone to stereotyping reality and prejudice. They do not take
everything at face value and wait for sufficient evidence to be presented to them or search for it on their own.
Individualism
Smart people tend to get less pleasure than most people from hanging out with friends. They do not need excessive socialization. Psychologists Satoshi Kanazawa of The London School of Economics and Political Science and Norman Lee of Singapore Management University have found that smart people experience real happiness only in the company of themselves. Being part of a group is an important factor for most people, as it is related to our evolution.
It was in the group that a person could survive. However, the modern world allows you to cope with difficulties alone and the adaptive brain of a person with high intelligence allows him to survive on his own and not feel the need for a permanent environment.
High level of self-control
Smart people are able to overcome impulsiveness by planning, refining goals, exploring strategies, and considering the consequences of their actions before they take them. Scientists have found a direct link between self-control and intelligence. The results of the study show that high levels of self-control are associated with intelligence in part due to processes initiated in the anterior prefrontal cortex, an area known to support the integration of diverse information.
Sense of humor
Smart people have a good sense of humor. A study conducted at the University of New Mexico found that professional comedians scored higher on measures of verbal intelligence.
Another study published in the 1970s looked at 55 male and 14 female comedians and found that they scored significantly higher on IQ tests than the general population.
Thinking outside the box
Being smart means thinking differently. True intellectuals question the status quo, old concepts and methods. They have unusual and unconventional ideas. It is intelligence that helps us to solve non-standard tasks. There is a correlation between intelligence and creativity, and this helps smart people find simple answers to complex questions.
7 satellites of high intelligence - Kvitna
Media, Psychology
From time immemorial we have praised the mind, but high intelligence means not only great opportunities for its owner. It also comes with certain difficulties and limitations. Research says this.
Back in the 1950s, psychologist Lewis Terman, who had been working on the development of intelligence for many years, came to the conclusion that high IQ does not always lead to bright achievements. In the decades that have passed since then, psychology and neuroscience have actively advanced in the study of the pros and cons of high intelligence. Here are the interesting data obtained over the past two years.
1. MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS
Mental disorders are quite possibly the price humanity pays for high intelligence. This conclusion was made by British psychologists-researchers led by Daniel Smith from the University of Glasgow. After observing a group of nearly 2,000 people over a long period of time, from 8 to 22-23 years of age, Smith and his colleagues found that the higher the IQ of a person in childhood, the more likely that he will develop bipolar disorder in his youth.
After the publication of these data, discussions about whether there is any connection between intelligence, creativity and mental disorders broke out with renewed vigor. Previously, a group of scientists from different countries came to the conclusion that the relationship between the level of intelligence and mental disorders can be explained from the standpoint of evolution. The development of the intelligence of Homo sapiens has been associated with gene mutations. But these same mutations also explain the increased risk of mental illness.
2. ANXIETY
People with high intelligence are more prone to anxiety than people with average intelligence. This is the conclusion of a study by American evolutionary neuroscientists led by Jeremy Coplan. It is possible that in the course of evolution, anxiety and intelligence were formed in parallel. In prehistoric times, constant alertness could have contributed to human survival.
3. NEW IDEAS
On the other hand, people with high intelligence are more likely to generate new ideas. Again, this could be important from an evolutionary and historical point of view, since it meant the ability to reject stereotypes and see new ways of development. As evolutionary psychologist Satoshi Kanazawa of the London School of Economics and Political Science has shown in a study, people with high IQs are more likely to be atheists and politically more likely to take a liberal stance.
Among the young people in the study, 95% of those who identified themselves as conservative had an average IQ of 95, while those who described themselves as very liberal had an average IQ of 106.
4. LONELY
One interesting discovery by Satoshi Kanazawa and his co-author Norman Lee of the University of Management Singapore is that the larger the circle of friends of highly intelligent people, the lower their level of life satisfaction. This study refutes the conventional wisdom that socialization makes you feel happy. At least now we can say that such a representation is not applicable to everyone.
5. "OWL" MODE
Satoshi Kanazawa also found out that those with high intelligence prefer to get up late. In one of his scientific papers, he analyzed the sleep patterns of 20,745 American teenagers. Those with low IQs went to bed at 11:41 a.m. and woke up at 7:20 a.m., on average. High IQ teens went to bed later at 12:29 and woke up later at 7:52.
