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Psychology of a Self-Diagnosing, Exaggerating Generation

Wolfie

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It seems as if the young people in my generation have the nasty habit of constantly exaggerating and self-diagnosing to express themselves.

Examples off the top of my head:

"I'm an introvert." and "I'm anti-social."

"I have insomnia."

"I'm OCD."

"I'm an alcoholic."

"I'm so poor."

Thoughts on this? Is this a generational thing? What's the deal? Too much webmd?
 

Lexicon

Temporal Mechanic
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It seems as if the young people in my generation have the nasty habit of constantly exaggerating and self-diagnosing to express themselves.

Examples off the top of my head:

"I'm an introvert." and "I'm anti-social."

"I have insomnia."

"I'm OCD."

"I'm an alcoholic."

"I'm so poor."

Thoughts on this? Is this a generational thing? What's the deal? Too much webmd?

Are you using the term diagnosis strictly in the medical sense, or do you just mean you notice people labelling themeselves, more?

I ask mainly because introversion's not a mental illness in the sense of an unhealthy psychiatric condition, it's just a pattern of behavior and understanding of what energizes an individual.

I think otherwise, though, society is a bit more open to psych in general -though ofc there is still some stigma- but with that openness, as well as the new info available- and easy access via the intertubes.. it only makes sense that people would sum up things about themselves with general medical terms. People have always had an intrinsic need to define things to some extent or another. Knowledge is power, if you name it, you own it, etc.

Unfortunatley, this also leads to many people using terms out of context without fully understanding their meanings, and also using said self diagnosis as a bandaid to excuse problems they may have, versus actually using that data to attempt to address and resolve said issues.
 

Orangey

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It probably has to do with the cultural ascendency of science. The terms infiltrate everyday vocabulary.
 

Lexicon

Temporal Mechanic
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Lexicon

Temporal Mechanic
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Then it's not exactly science, is it?

Does it necessarily have to be?

I think it's a combination of cultural acceptance and advances in the psych field. /shrug

I tend not to take people literally on things like this, and play it by ear/observe. We're all capable of stumbling into lexical pitfalls from time to time.
 
G

Ginkgo

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No, but the language becomes "metaphors we live by" and whatnot. Whether it's really science or not is irrelevant.

If it's a cultural thing to use scientific terms with alternative definitions, then it can't really be inferred from this fact alone that science has ascended. It's degenerative to a portion of the scientific practice.
 

Lexicon

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If it's a cultural thing to use scientific terms with alternative definitions, then it can't really be inferred from this fact alone that science has ascended. It's degenerative to a portion of the scientific practice.

It can be degenerative, depending on how seriously each person takes the meaning behind the words used.
I'd pray people are more intelligent than that, generally.
We'll see, I guess.
 

Little_Sticks

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It seems as if the young people in my generation have the nasty habit of constantly exaggerating and self-diagnosing to express themselves.

Examples off the top of my head:

"I'm an introvert." and "I'm anti-social."

"I have insomnia."

"I'm OCD."

"I'm an alcoholic."

"I'm so poor."

Thoughts on this? Is this a generational thing? What's the deal? Too much webmd?

The truth is always true, until it isn't.

"You have once again entered the world of survival horror..... Good luck......"
 

Orangey

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If it's a cultural thing to use scientific terms with alternative definitions, then it can't really be inferred from this fact alone that science has ascended.

That was not the operation that I used to come to the conclusion that science has ascended in our culture.
 

Rasofy

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It's the interwebz!!!

 

Lexicon

Temporal Mechanic
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It's the interwebz!!!


I dunno what it says about me, the internet, or doctors, but I've actually been able to diagnose things wrong with me [medically] before I see my physician. They merely confirm it via lab tests, & are able to prescribe treatment..
 

Rasofy

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I dunno what it says about me, the internet, or doctors, but I've actually been able to diagnose things wrong with me [medically] before I see my physician. They merely confirm it via lab tests, & are able to prescribe treatment..
:hug: Most people seem to do it wrong, though.
 
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