This one is for you, Lisa
OK, so Lisa posted about a psychological study where normal people were admitted into mental institutions because they claimed to hear certain things (they were faking), and how the doctors misdiagnosed them even after days of exhibiting normal behavior and saying that they had stopped hearing things. (Read her entry for more, because that was a pretty shitty summary even though I did read the whole article.) I was just going to comment back on Lisa's post, but then I decided that it was really material for an entry and not for a comment.
I'm glad you posted this, Lisa, because I really wonder sometimes, is there that much of a gap between sanity and insanity? I mean, ok, if you're schizophrenic to the degree of the man that A Beautiful Mind was based on, ok, yes, that can be defined as insanity. But where do you define insanity? I feel like every single one of us has moments of craziness and indiscretion, when we do things completely out of character, things that could cause us to be temporarily categorized as being "out of our minds"...but is that insanity? If you don't eat correctly, don't sleep enough, drink excessively, or do a variety of other things, it can lead you to act in ways you wouldn't normally. Is that insanity? Is it only insanity if the way you react to your environment is deviant on a normal basis or can one action sentence you to a lifetime of being categorized as a person with a mental problem? And honestly, what does deviating from the norm (in terms of behavior) even mean? Is there truly a defined norm for behavior? I'm sure a lot of TJ folks do things that can be classified as far from "normal" teenage behavior, but you can't classify us all as insane. I guess this depends on whether you look at "normal" behavior as being something socially acceptable or as being based on the average person. I'd say its definitely socially acceptable (well in our little dorky social sphere that I've got with you guys) to discuss a real, intellectual topic on lj every once in a while, but writing these sort of entries is definitely not something the average 19-year old would be doing on the weekend.
AND now on a completely unrelated topic...I really admire people who can go through hardships, learn from it, and not let it get in the way of the rest of their life. I let the little things get me down sometimes, so I reallllly look up to people who make the best of every situation and don't dwell on the past the way I do. That was sort of random, but I've noticed it in friends back at home and friends here, and it inspires me to stop being such an emotional wreck at the thought of something going wrong, lol. Its just uplifting to be around optimistic people like that. :) :) :)
I'm glad you posted this, Lisa, because I really wonder sometimes, is there that much of a gap between sanity and insanity? I mean, ok, if you're schizophrenic to the degree of the man that A Beautiful Mind was based on, ok, yes, that can be defined as insanity. But where do you define insanity? I feel like every single one of us has moments of craziness and indiscretion, when we do things completely out of character, things that could cause us to be temporarily categorized as being "out of our minds"...but is that insanity? If you don't eat correctly, don't sleep enough, drink excessively, or do a variety of other things, it can lead you to act in ways you wouldn't normally. Is that insanity? Is it only insanity if the way you react to your environment is deviant on a normal basis or can one action sentence you to a lifetime of being categorized as a person with a mental problem? And honestly, what does deviating from the norm (in terms of behavior) even mean? Is there truly a defined norm for behavior? I'm sure a lot of TJ folks do things that can be classified as far from "normal" teenage behavior, but you can't classify us all as insane. I guess this depends on whether you look at "normal" behavior as being something socially acceptable or as being based on the average person. I'd say its definitely socially acceptable (well in our little dorky social sphere that I've got with you guys) to discuss a real, intellectual topic on lj every once in a while, but writing these sort of entries is definitely not something the average 19-year old would be doing on the weekend.
AND now on a completely unrelated topic...I really admire people who can go through hardships, learn from it, and not let it get in the way of the rest of their life. I let the little things get me down sometimes, so I reallllly look up to people who make the best of every situation and don't dwell on the past the way I do. That was sort of random, but I've noticed it in friends back at home and friends here, and it inspires me to stop being such an emotional wreck at the thought of something going wrong, lol. Its just uplifting to be around optimistic people like that. :) :) :)