Is Polarized Perception a Mental Invention?

Is the most obvious characteristic of sz thought (here “en vitro” as well out there “en vivo”)
polarizing perception into absolute, total mental inventions of…

“one thing or another” (nothing in between)
“either / or” (no other possibilities)
“all right or all wrong” (no ambiguities or complexities allowed)
“all good or all evil” (no moral relativism or part good & part bad)
“all this or all that” (limiting an explanation to the stipulated possibilities)

???

Isn’t actual reality – or “what is” – outside of these mental impositions?

Aren’t there actually possibilities beyond those at the ends of a spectrum?

Does reality exist in our heads or “out there” in the world?

Where do you think most of us got the five ideas listed above?

don’t all human beings perceive the world they live in as either, or ?
personally the bugs , the people following me, the cameras are not real.
but the aliens, the demons, the alien operations etc are real.
human beings are children playing in a sand pit… :smiley:
take care :alien:

1 Like

Sounds like the black and white thinking of the borderline personality to me.

Yeah, it does. But what fascinates me about the borderline pt is that (by diagnostic definition) they have two black & white polarity sets opposing each other. Abuse is feared here and invited there. As is abandonment.

That said, don’t most people in the cult-ure of mental constructs handed down by the authorities (dating back at least to Hammurabi in Sumeria, and Moses the Lawgiver in the Negev Desert) (and “made legit” by Rene Descartes in the 1600s) think in “digital,” all-or-nothing terms at most times? Scientists, barristers, physicists, physicians, and psychologists excepted, of course.) (Hahahaha.)

Normal people do that too.

Absolutist thinking.

People want ■■■■ to be simple.

Does “normal” = “functional” or “well-connected to reality?” Please.

“It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.”
– Jiddu Krishnamurti

Neurotypical that is.

But it isn’t. ■■■■ is what it is.

1 Like

When psychotic I can relate more to a thorough skepticism than to the certainty that seems implied in the idea of polarized thouight/perception. Although this may be a false opposition, im thinking now. Does polarized thinking mean that you endorse one of the extremes? Or can merely wavering and entertaining both extremes be called polarized thinking as well? Even if this is the case, I’m not sure if I can recognize myself in it. My psychiatrist thinks I am too nuanced, which might be true. I find it hard to take a stance on many issues, for other stances have things going for them too, and I typically lack a comprehensive overview on most subjects. I am inclined to think that entertaining multiple extreme perspectives will typically lead one to endorse a more nuanced view. If so, skepticism seems not so compatible with polarized thinking.

I do have a tendency to sometimes exaggerate conceptions, when reflecting on them that is. I do this as a way to look for ramifications that may be present, but not explicit, in the more moderate version. I think of this as putting the idea under a magnifying glass. I think this is a healthy way of reflecting on ideas.

A whole lot of “Normal” Brained people think in black and White - All or Nothing ways.

Its not just a Mental Illness distortion - Its a Human Nature distortion.

1 Like

“‘Stand by Your Man’ is a song co-written by Tammy Wynette and Billy Sherrill and originally recorded by Wynette. The song was placed at number one on CMT’s list of the Top 100 Country Music Songs. The song was selected by the Library of Congress as an addition to the National Recording Registry, which selects recordings annually that are ‘culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.’[4]” (from Wikipedia)

SBYM was a huge hit in 1968. I doubt that it would break into the charts at all now. What was normal then is decidedly not now.

But what strikes me as even more interesting about SBYM is how polarized the public reaction to the song was in 1968 (when feminism was taking off). The song was very popular among those of one somewhat extreme religious and political orientation who lauded it, while those of the more feminist bent saw it is detestable and even disgraceful.

Although many didn’t care, I ran into very few who paid attention to the all right vs. all wrong / all good vs. all bad / black & white conflict as an illustration of sociology in action… as well as the inability of most people to see that standing by one’s man might make sense here but not there.

And that inability appears to me to be far more common among those who are psychotic than even those who are (ostensibly) “normal.”

1 Like

Is polarized thinking distributed on a bell curve?

1 Like