Anyone else emotionally mature but intellectually immature?

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raw83472
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07 Oct 2017, 9:16 am

I'm 34 y/o, and my entire life I always felt more immature than the rest of my peers... except not emotionally, but intellectually. I have no known emotional issues, but intellectually my abstract/critical thinking is severely impaired. So even though I've very good in math (I took the most advanced courses in college such as Calculus III and differential equations), my abstract and critical thinking is impaired in that I feel I'm at a child's level... Or in other words... I'm extremely intuitive, but when it comes to critical thinking I don't do as well. So although I'm great at math, I wouldn't trust myself to build/engineer a bridge (since that would be like a child engineering/building a bridge). Or know how some people can "write/talk for an hour about anything, but find it difficult to get to the point"? I'm the opposite of that... Basically, I'd make the worst salesman... Instinctually, my mind wants to get right to the "gist" (and I think this is because my critical thinking is impaired).

But emotionally, I actually feel much more in control of my emotions than everyone around me. It's very easy for me to take control of (or not have) emotions when making decisions... so in this regard, I'm like the opposite of someone that is bipolar... I basically have no emotions to "fight against"... I don't take any medication except for sleep (Remeron 15mg and Lunesta). I wonder if my "lack of emotions" is what is causing my sleep issues (which only just started about 3 years ago)... i.e. while most people go to bed with good emotions (or at least any emotions), I go to bed without any emotions and maybe this is why I have chronic insomnia...



harry12345
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07 Oct 2017, 9:52 am

This subject has been on my mind for a while now and was thinking of starting a topic about it before I saw this thread.

Emotionally I am very stable (almost no feeling of emotion). Maybe frustration is my worst, followed by low spikes of anger if I am challenged at work, which simmers down to frustration and tiredness after awhile. My other main emotion is probably contentment - just living each day as it comes.

I like to think I've got a fair dollop of common sense, and am quite intuitive about certain things. I pick up tasks fairly easily and don't make many mistakes once learned.

However.........

Ask me an open ended question (or for an opinion) about a random subject and I am a lost cause......... :oops: :oops: 8O :cry:

Here are a few topics on another (TV Science Fiction) forum I frequent -

"Obama: More Moderate Republican Than Socialist"
Wage Ratio/Regulation
Child Labour in 20th Century Canada
What is CRISPR-Cas9 and why is gene editing so controversial?
The universal healthcare debate in the U.S.
UK tax gap - SMEs double that of large business
The post-Brexit European Union
Annoying Passenger Behaviour On Planes
The History of Ethnic Diversity in Western Societies
Is Derrida Philosophical Sophistry?


In the first place I wouldn't feel able to comment on any of those, yet some people can post pages and pages worth of stuff about things like this. Put them in a group and get them talking about this sort of stuff and they could go on for hours.......



Joe90
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07 Oct 2017, 11:43 am

I thought folks on the spectrum were more emotionally immature? :?


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harry12345
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07 Oct 2017, 1:47 pm

Joe90 wrote:
I thought folks on the spectrum were more emotionally immature? :?


For me my emotions are very simple and low key and if plotted on a circular graph would take up a small section near the middle.

I try and avoid "emotionally charged" situations and would avoid confrontation where ever possible. Someone else always starts a confrontation with me first. I would never (and maybe I should sometimes) go up to someone I know and give them "a piece of my mind" about their behaviour towards me. I would not be able to get a part in Eastenders, that's for sure.......

Complex emotional states are alien to me. I only realised a few months ago that someone could look happy and seem happy to be around me yet be seething with anger inside 8O !

I am mature in the sense that I appear in control of myself 99.9% of the time, but yes, I think my emotions are more childlike than most (all) of my peers.

With regards intellectually immaturity, well, suppose if you wanted me to write an essay on my understanding of the UK political system. No doubt I would try my best, but in the end it would come out like it was written by a school aged person. I would write about the house of commons/lords, parties, voting system, etc (i.e. facts), whereas what you might actually want is an understanding of the left/centre/right and interactions between the parties and how that affects the UK population/economy (i.e. opinions).