Positive Disintegration, Crises In Very Intelligent People

There are many types of crisis. Some fall on the side of the existential, in that strange but obsessive abyss in which some people do not stop wondering what the world, life and even themselves have meaning. Kazimier Dabrowski, coined the term “positive disintegration” in the 60s  to explain this psychological phenomenon so common in people with high intellectual capacities.

This concept is still interesting as well as illustrative. It is as if the minds of these gifted adolescent children and adults sometimes drift into a kind of defragmentation. Minds crumble (figuratively) to re-integrate in another way after having found answers, having given vital meanings and explanations to their deep doubts.

Dabrowski chose well the definition of that phenomenon, that kind of existential depression. Disintegration, because there are parts that end up dissolving, beliefs, thought patterns, emotions, values ​​that are no longer valid to reformulate in another way. The mind is updated, so to speak, developing and acquiring new potentials at the same time.

Hence positive disintegration, because what is finally achieved is an advance in human development, ascending to another step. In fact, this Polish psychiatrist expert in personality psychology and high intellectual abilities defined up to 5 steps. Different phases that a person with a high IQ usually goes through.

Let’s know more data.

Positive disintegration, the evolution until the construction of the authentic self

Dabrowski’s theory of positive disintegration has remained in force since it was formulated more than six decades ago. Moreover, in the field of high abilities it is a valuable framework from which to understand how the construction of the personality of these people evolves.

Thus, according to this approach, the mental development of someone with a high IQ goes through a series of very concrete transitions. These go in an upward direction; In other words, there is an evolution, a gain both on a cognitive and emotional level. However, and here comes the curious fact, each advance starts from a crisis, from a moment in which that child, that adolescent or adult experiences high suffering, bewilderment, anxiety and frustration.

These states almost always start from existential doubts. Those in which they question themselves by feeling different from others. These are moments in which they fall into states of introspection in which they think about why the world is the way it is, why people act the way they do, about the purpose of their future, the awareness of their mortality, etc.

Mendaglio and Tillier (2006) analyzed this in their work The Theory of Positive Disintegration and Dabrowski’s Giftedness. Something they found in their research is that, on average, people with high abilities also experience high overexcitement. That is, they have a high imagination, a tendency to feel emotions more intensely, they are also usually more impulsive.

All this makes those times of existential crisis are often very problematic and require a type of intervention and support to emerge stronger. The most common is that, in those times, they stop being productive in class or work and suffer problems with their social relationships. Let us know, however, those stages of development that Dabrowski defined.

1. Primary decay

This first level of development is located in early childhood. Here the child with high capacities suffers the first crisis; that in which instincts and egocentric behaviors are intermingled with the interest of what is in their immediate context.

The desire to explore, discover, manipulate and learn will gradually mature earlier.

2. Unilevel decay

At this stage the child or pre-adolescent needs to feel accepted in the group of their peers. However, he does not achieve that connection and the first great existential crisis occurs.

To this is added, in addition, the need to analyze the social values ​​in which he is growing and that impact his life. He asks about people’s behavior, about the norms that govern society, about their role in that environment.

3. Spontaneous multilevel disintegration

Positive disintegration also occurs when the person suddenly feels dissatisfied with what they are and what they have achieved up to that point.

This crisis usually comes in early youth, when he is forced to reformulate goals, to leave behind certain projects and ideas. He conflicts with himself, but manages to get out by taking new solutions.

4. Organized multilevel disintegration

The fourth stage in the personal development of that man or woman with a high IQ occurs when he realizes that, perhaps, he has spent a lot of time focused on himself and his needs. Perhaps it  is time to open up to others, to be more altruistic and take on a more productive role for the good of others. It is the moment when more universal and higher values ​​are assumed.

5. Secondary integration

Responsibility, kindness, altruism … In this last stage the person begins to look at more abstract and higher principles. He has already focused on helping others, on contributing through his work or effort to be of help. Now he aspires to leave his mark on culture, to promote the progress of his society.

To conclude, there is something important about positive disintegration. This model contains a somewhat hopeful and, at times, even unrealistic perspective. Not all people manage to “advance” on these steps. It is not automatic . Many get stuck, mired in crises that lead to anxiety or depression.

It is therefore a priority that they have professional support in those moments of doubts and personal crises. Only then can they achieve well-being.