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Sanity vs. Insanity

January 28, 2011

Featured Content, Philosophy

I’d like to discuss something with all of you.

Insanity. Or sanity, for that matter.

What does insanity mean to you? And what about sanity?

Wittingham Hospital - previously one of the biggest asylums in Europe. It was closed in 1995.

To be insane, does that mean you need to have hallucinations, or delusions? Or are you insane if you have ideas that deviate from what’s socially accepted? Or is insanity inadvertently linked with hurting others, physically, sexually or emotionally?

Just for your information, there is no right or wrong here. A little spoiler to what I’m going to talk about next week: not even psychologists are sure what “sanity” or “insanity” means, exactly.

I’m extremely interested in your take on this matter, so please do share your thoughts! :D

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About Manon Eileen

Dutch 23-year-old SF/F YA writer, BSc in Psychology and soon MA in Global Criminology. She is creative, easily bored, and craves tea all the time. Also: "science isn't about why, it's about why not" - Cave Johnson.

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  • http://unsanityfiles.com Albert Berg

    I’ve always thought that insanity was just normal behavior pushed to abnormal levels. Take paranoia for instance. I think everyone can think of some time in their life when they’ve been a little paranoid but insanity takes that kind of thing and pushes it far beyond what is normal. Some perfectly normal people have reported hearing voices on rare occasions, but the problem comes in when those voices become more than just a passing phenomenon.
    At the bottom line, the question of sanity comes down to reality. Does the reality you experience line up pretty much with the reality everyone else experiences? If so then you’re sane. If not then you’re insane.

    • http://www.manoneileen.com Manon Eileen

      Very interesting observations, Albert. I would agree to some extent. The two examples you name are paranoia and auditory hallucinations, and those are two primary symptoms of schizophrenia. What then aboutsomeone with antisocial personality disorder? Would they too be insane as well?
      And what about someone with a borderline personality disorders? Their disorders are far from normal and not at all the norm, but for instance in a person with borderline PD, who has pathological unsecurities, would you call them insane, too?

      Thanks again for reading and your thoughtful comment!

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  • Piper Bayard

    I lost my first husband to mental illness, and I have, for some reason, always been a crazy person magnet. Every genuinely insane person I’ve known, versus personality disorders and addictions, has been genius level intelligent. I think when someone is truely brilliant, their mind goes places they cannot genuinely process through the human experience. As children, we are raised with the mental boundaries and boxes that our parents give us, i.e. religions, schools, social norms and mores, etc. These define our world and allow us to function, hopefully effectively, in this 3d plane of existence. When we leave home, the first thing we do is form our own box of 3d existence that explains life well enough to ourselves that we can function. People who are genuinely brilliant are less capable of formulating functioning boxes for themselves because the task of creating an earthly paradigm is often in opposition to the limitless abilities of their minds to go places that just don’t fit well into the 3d plane. Brilliant people are, emotionally, only human, and this kind of inconjunct makes “reality” a very difficult thing for them to define and experience, but they still have to come up with something to tell themselves for why they and their world are the way they are. So for me, “sanity” is the ability to create a functional connection between the mind’s ability and the requirements of 3d existence. “Insanity” is the inability to mesh thoughts and mental/emotional experience with those requirements. Thanks, as always, for your post. All the best.

    • http://www.manoneileen.com Manon Eileen

      Thank you very much for sharing that, Piper.

      I recognize what you refer to, personally. Especially the “brain in a vat” thought experiment, which I discussed in my very first blog post is pretty capable of driving people insane, I think, because it’s one of those philosophical topics that are neither verifiable nor falsifiable just by thinking about it.

      You make some very interesting points. However, I’m not sure if insanity is reserved just for the brilliant. If connecting to the plane of existence like you say is the only condition, what about all those rapists and batterers? Are they not insane, too? I do wonder how you might see that!

      Thanks again for reading and participating on the discussion!

  • http://twitter.com/CMStewartWrite CMStewart

    I don’t believe hallucinations or delusions are necessarily criteria or defining symptoms of insanity. Neither do I believe having “ideas that deviate from what’s socially accepted” are necessarily related to insanity. Causing “harm to others” means little without context.

    It’s tricky to define insanity because it’s so subjective. But I do think there’s a limit to what can be considered normal, even if ultimately this has to be decided on a case-by-case basis.

    I think this definition is workable: “Insanity is repeating the same mistakes and expecting different results.” (quote attribution disputed)

    • http://www.manoneileen.com Manon Eileen

      That’s an interesting definition, CMStewart. Wouldn’t it be equally insane if you were making the same mistake over and over and expecting the same result (as in, continuing love and acceptance from a partner after having abused her/him many many times?)

      Thanks for reading and your comment!

      • http://twitter.com/CMStewartWrite CMStewart

        ” . . making the same mistake over and over and expecting the same result . . ”

        Hmm . . quite thought-provoking.

        My cousin and my best friend seem to be caught in the “making the same mistake over and over” loop. I don’t think they expect different results each time. They have a “this is my lot in life” attitude. From my perspective, it looks like they enjoy the prestige of martyrdom. But I’m not sure that’s equivalent to masochism.

        • http://www.manoneileen.com Manon Eileen

          I try my very best at being thought provoking *salutes* lol.

          Some people do really tend to make the same mistake over and over. Even when they realize they do. “Prestige of martyrdom” I hadn’t heard of before, that’s an interesting one. Perhaps they like what they gain (perhaps attention) with their … well, masochism.

          Very interesting!

  • Siparti

    I don’t believe insanity is linked to hurting others. I think what people call insanity is different for every individual. Insanity is perceived differently by different people, in my opinion.

    • http://www.manoneileen.com Manon Eileen

      Thanks for reading and your comment :D

      I too believe that insanity is subjective. Do you think insanity is the same as madness?

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  • http://bluelion013.blogspot.com Kunal Garg

    For me Insanity would be going against what people expect of you. its normal human behavior to tag anything they dont like or they did not expect as insane. i have been called insane on numerous occasions, and i’m proud of each one of them.
    but than there is medically defined insanity but i dont think this is about that at all. i study in a college where we are groomed to be scientists, researchers et all. and its like we have to study for upto atleast 30 years of age and for some whole life is given to studying. So now, my friends who will complete their study in next 2-3 years and get the jobs think i’m mad for choosing something where i will have to study practically all my life. but i love to study, so i dont find it abnormal. but i can also see their Point of view. also the way the scientists think, the “rational” and “Empirrical” way of thinking is what some people term as abnormal! i hope i got my point across!

  • Tasha

    I think it all comes down to willpower. I believe through willpower you can achieve anything. So people who have become “insane” just dont have the willpower to be what they want to be. But then you have societies views on things. What the mainstrem majority had deemed as insane or sane. What truely makes us insane however, I think, is ourselves. If one were to see herself or himself as insane and believed it was so, then it would be so. It also depends on how well you can and have handled the situations life has thrown at you. Wherein lies the connection to willpower. If you beat through your own inflicted illness, and do what you have the ability to do, then you wouldnt become insane. But at the same time, there are those who have been damaged beyond repair. Who had no escape or ability to build their willpower. Those are the only exceptions in my opinion. But I think with time even they could gain the aount of willpower they need. Though I do, as always, admit I could be wrong. It is sometimes hard for me to say what I mean exactly, in the way I want to say it. … I really like your writing by the way. It has made me think a lot!

    • http://www.manoneileen.com Manon Eileen

      @6f946985bc0b09f44413de27b120d0ad:disqus , Thanks for sharing your ideas with us! You have an interesting take on insanity/sanity. I don’t think we’ll ever find out what it truly is as everyone has such different ideas about it, and it’s subject to many cultural factors… Ah, it’s pretty tough!

      Thanks for the compliment, I’m very glad :D