From: sonic@artgate.cray.com (Curtis Swanson)
Subject: Re: Intelligent underachievers
Organization: Cray Research, Inc.
Date: 19 Aug 92 13:56:53 CDT


In article <l92qubINNspr@dimebox.cs.utexas.edu>, jonabbey@cs.utexas.edu (Jonathan David Abbey) writes:
> 
> Okay, to start a new topic --
> 
> One of the things I find most aggrieving about having been tested as
> very intelligent (99.5% percentile on CATTEL, SAT),  is that it just seems to
> make anything less than a perfect performance seem a failure.  Having
> grown up with my intelligence as my prime attribute at the same time that
> my apathy and lack of focus has made me less than a stellar student has not
> made for a combination conducive to a high self esteem.  One the one hand,
> I'm smarter than 99.5% of the population.  On the other hand, that leaves
> well over a million people in the United States smarter than me.
> 

So?  I learned long ago that, no matter how good I am at anything, there will 
always be someone else who is better than I am.  I might be more diverse but 
not the best at anything.  Now I don't care.  I strive to be the best I can be
and use my own yardstick.  After all, someone I don't know and may never meet
is not have any effect on my life and I'm not about to stress myself out 
worrying about the possibility that someone is better than I am.....

> In my experience, on of the purposes of Mensa has been to serve as a
> social and support group for people in this position.. I find that the
> things I focus on, the things I think about (continuously) are rather
> abstract and rather global in extent.  I find that I am always thinking
> of the mechanics of intelligence, of the working of the brain, and suchlike
> things.  But I also believe that I don't have the emotional strength and
> discipline to be able to make a real contribution to the field.  So where
> does that leave me?
> 

An interested observer who could possibly help the field through comments and
questions.  Or just an observer.  Your choice.....  There are a lot of things
that I'm interested in that I'll never help progress - this does not diminish
my interest or enjoyment any.

> I find that my propensity to continual thought enhances my
> appreciation of the limitless complexity of the world, but does not
> really help me to excel in achievement (and may in fact be somewhat
> detrimental to my well-adjustment and/or "sanity").  My lack of
> extraordinary achievement then haunts me (for I can always find
> someone smarter and more successful) and I feel obligated to prove
> myself through academics, which I do not find to be terribly easy.
> 
> Is it common in the experience of r.o.m to have this sort of an experience?
> 

For me, no.  I am able to focus my concentration when needed to finish a project
but otherwise I just let my mind wander....

> I find it very onerous, and one of the central Mensa experiences, and perhaps
> one of the qualities of intelligence that is particularly well correlated with
> Mensa membership is this continuity of thought and depth of consideration,
> academic performance issues aside.
> 

Perhaps.  I don't know enough Mensan's to offer an opinion on this.....

> So, I'm not sure what kind of a response I'm looking for here.  I've got
> a project due in 27 hours, and I felt like holding forth.
> 

Good luck!

> -- 
> Jonathan Abbey                                 jonabbey@cs.utexas.edu
> the university of texas at austin             "He's cleaning up his systems
> computer science/math/psychology               to keep his nature pure" - Rush
--
***  Curt Swanson  ***  sonic@romulus.cray.com  ***  IOTTMCO  *********
HOME:n - That mythical place where you can go and relax.......
I'd rather be in a coma.........
Newsgroups: rec.org.mensa