Intellectualization is a defense mechanism where one avoids discomfort and anxiety by focusing on the rational and logical aspect of an event ignoring the emotional aspect especially if the emotions involved are uncomfortable.Â
Take for instance; An individual who has newly lost a loved one focusing on the medical reasons or statistical probability of death instead of grieving.
In intellectualization, Emotions are obstacles that need to be shunned away
There’s a kind of emotional disconnect from the distressing experience or memory. Separation of thinking from feeling.
Intellectualization vs Sigmund Freud defense mechanisms.
Many research sources link intellectualization to Sigmund Freud studies . Our research however shows no reference where Freud used the term Intellectualization. He however discussed about the process in his work, on negation, describing how the intellectual process is separated from the affective function.
To Freud, memories have both conscious and unconscious aspects to them. Intellectualization hence allows for conscious analysis of am event in a way that does not provoke Anxiety.
Examples of Intellectualization.
1. Consider Anna a lady raised by her mother. She was abandoned at a young age by the father who was emotionally unavailable and never met her needs hence grew up feeling resentful. When asked about her relationship with the father however, Anna calmly explains how her father is human with his own flaws. Anna focuses on the logical aspect shunning away the resentful feeling she harbors towards the father
2. When confronted over his habit of taking alcohol, Kevin starts claiming that it’s the uncle who introduced him to alcohol. There’s an avoidance of shame that comes with the discussion by focusing on the analytical part.
3. An individual loses a parent and instead of grieving, they focus on the burial arrangements and preparations.
4. The very thought of imagining an act of violence without feeling the emotions accompanied by it can be a form of intellectualization.
5. A man who has been rejected by a girl avoids discomfort that is associated with the painful emotions by dissecting the matter from an analytical len when he talks about the Unpredictability of love affairs in the modern world.
Intellectualization and Avoidance.
Though different, intellectualization might be a form of avoidance where one avoids the emotional aspect of a stimulus and focuses on the analytical aspect to cope or avoid anxiety.
Intellectualization and Rationalization.
Both involve using logical or seemingly logical explanations to cope or avoid discomfort. Rationalization however involves bending the facts to justify an unacceptable impulse or behaviour unlike intellectualization that involves misdirecting one’s focus to a logical aspect ignoring the emotional one.
Carl Jung on IntellectualizationÂ
Carl jung, a student of Freud, claimed that “The most difficult patients to deal with were the so-called intellectuals. They cultivate a “Compartment psychology” . Anything can be settled by an intellect that is not subject to the control of feeling and yet the intellectual still suffers from a neurosis if feeling is undeveloped ”
The effects of Using Intellectualization.
1. It protect us from anxiety and other uncomfortable feelings by repressing or suppressing the discomfort able emotions.
2. Intellectualization may give one time to process a painful event.
3. The avoidance of uncomfortable feelings might results to further problems.
4. Intellectualization might hinder growth that would otherwise been possible had we acknowledged, accepted or even healed from the emotions.
In summary, Intellectualization involves disconnecting one’s focus from an emotional component of a situation and directing it to a logical aspect especially if the emotions in questions are painful or might provide discomfort.