Private intelligence

In the case of a neurotic failure in life, a person’s reasoning may be ‘intelligent’ within his own frame of reference, but is nevertheless socially insane. The person thinks it all adds up but the rest of us don’t see the deeper context and to us, it looks nuts.

For example, a thief said: “The young man had plenty of money and I had none; therefore I took it.” Since this criminal does not think himself capable of acquiring money in the normal manner, in the socially useful way, there is actually nothing left for him but robbery. So the criminal approaches his goal through what seems to him to be an ‘intelligent’ argument; however his reason is based on private intelligence, which does not include social interest or responsibility.

A man may be solidly married but insists of endless destructive affairs, with women who have nothing to offer his career or children. He is destroying the good part of his life, being bent on something which is very foolish. In private intelligence, it’s the right thing to do. But once the wider context is added, the actions no longer make sense.

Reasoning which has general validity is broad intelligence, which is connected with a social interest and context. Whereas isolated private intelligence may seem ‘clever’ to the individual concerned but if it conflicts with social needs it is of little value.

Neurotics, psychotics, criminals, alcoholics, vandals, prostitutes, drug addicts, perverts, etc are lacking in social interest. They approach the problems of occupation, friendships and sex without the confidence that they can be solved by cooperation. Their interest stops short at their own person – their idea of success in life is self-centered, and their triumphs have meaning only to themselves.

As founding psychologist Alfred Adler pointed out, “Every psychological activity shows that its direction is governed by a predetermined goal. However, soon after a child’s psychological development starts, all these tentative, individually recognizable goals, come under the dominance of the fictitious goal, a finale that is regarded as firmly established. In other words, like a character drawn by a good dramatist, the individual’s inner life is guided by what occurs in the fifth act of the play. This insight into any personality that can be derived from Individual Psychology leads us to an important concept: If we are to understand the nature of an individual, then every psychological manifestation should be perceived and understood as only preparatory for a particular goal. Everyone develops a final goal, either consciously or unconsciously, but ignorant of its meaning.” [The Practice and Theory of Individual Psychology, by Alfred Adler.]

The depth and character of early hurt in life usually determines the height of the false goal – a “guiding fiction” – which then becomes the “final cause” of behavior patterns.

Adler is talking about “the script”, of course. Everyone is one a script, whether good to bad. It’s how they see their life playing out, regardless of the short-range actions they are engaged in.

This is the hidden context, we don’t see.

From The Collected Works of Lydia Sicher: An Adlerian Perspective… “People learn to think in terms of their own private logic and will say, ‘I’m different from others.’ Everyone is different because no two people in the world are alike. But the difference that they mean is a difference that begs justification. “I am different from the others and, therefore, you cannot expect me to do insignificant jobs.’

Or, ‘I cannot finish what I have started because if I finish you might discover that what I did was not marvelous.’ Thus, people create their own formulas with their private intelligence or logic according to which they live. They expect themselves to be far beyond their present point of development. They expect others to see them as having already arrived at the endpoint of their own capabilities. They then go through life begging for excuses because they have not reached this endpoint of evolution, of perfection.”

Private intelligence, explained in this way, is a form of negative intelligence, a negative intelligence that includes all the distortions of analytical thinking that may occur, such as justifications, excuses, rationalizations, generalizations – all ways to be ‘right’, to provide a safe solution. In each case, there is a failure to observe, a refusal to notice. The goal of striving for self-expression has been misdirected to a goal for personal superiority. They may be correctly co-ordinated in a frame of reference on the useless side of life, but the person lacks the courage and the interest that is necessary for the socially useful solution of the problems of life.

True intelligence is IQ multiplied by the degree of social involvement in life (through sex, family, work, play, education and all kinds of local, national and international groupings and involvements) which in turn requires personal stability and social skills, the facets of emotional intelligence. When the individual’s interest is too self-centered, he or she feels socially impotent or a nobody; he or she feels alienated from their fellow man.

Conversely, the person who is socially integrated feels at home in this world, and this gives him or her courage and an optimistic view. The balanced individual does not regard the adversities of life as a personal injustice; he or she is not alone.