4 ms·

I thoroughly disagree with this advice. He doesn't need to get professional help to get over the kind of hump that every shy and introverted 21 year old has to

by swombat 16y ago

I thoroughly disagree with this advice. He doesn't need to get professional help to get over the kind of hump that every shy and introverted 21 year old has to get over (and does). I see no evidence in this post of anything more than the typical emo-angst and self-pity stuff that affects pretty much any intelligent introvert at some point during university. He just needs a good kick in the arse. If anyone knows who this is (hard with an anonymous account, I know), drag him out to some kind of social event and force him to meet some people. That's all the therapy he needs.

hnhg 16y ago
It can be quite hard without a social circle. When you quit being so macho about this, why not think there are people in circumstances different to your own and try empathising with them?
sp4rki 16y ago
Most intelligent introverts have friends in University though. The fact that the person is probably not into socializing as it's known to most college kids, generally means that they form a group within a section of the 'intelligent introverts' at the school. In any case I would agree with you that he just needs to get out more if it weren't for the case that 1) he's making a pity case out of his situation 2) he is not only not happy with his current situation, but seems to be entering a phase of self loathing which can easily be an entry phase into depression. He does need professional help, which type we can't tell because we don't really know the person, but the fact that he not only acknowledges that he is unhappy with his current social situation but also speaks illy about his situation with college and professors and thinks he needs some magic pill to actually improve his life (as if we in HN were in the position to give him any advice that will change his life that easily). It's most probable that he only needs to man up and take control of his life, but maybe his problem is not only the lack of will power to do so, and he needs a therapist to help him from a positive idea of what his life is supposed to be. At the most extreme it might even be a serious problem, perhaps a hormonal imbalance or a mental problem caused because of his environment, in which case a therapist might not even be enough and might need to seek a psychiatrist and start medication. As you said he might just need a kick in the arse, and what I recommended to him actually gets him on this path, but if that is not enough (which is just as probable as per his situation) he might really need someone to tighten the screws in his head that are loose or maybe even missing. Of course, I'm not saying he's crazy, but something isn't clicking right now and he really needs to get it fixed asap.

by swombat 16y ago

hnhg 16y ago

It can be quite hard without a social circle. When you quit being so macho about this, why not think there are people in circumstances different to your own and try empathising with them?

sp4rki 16y ago

Most intelligent introverts have friends in University though. The fact that the person is probably not into socializing as it's known to most college kids, generally means that they form a group within a section of the 'intelligent introverts' at the school. In any case I would agree with you that he just needs to get out more if it weren't for the case that 1) he's making a pity case out of his situation 2) he is not only not happy with his current situation, but seems to be entering a phase of self loathing which can easily be an entry phase into depression. He does need professional help, which type we can't tell because we don't really know the person, but the fact that he not only acknowledges that he is unhappy with his current social situation but also speaks illy about his situation with college and professors and thinks he needs some magic pill to actually improve his life (as if we in HN were in the position to give him any advice that will change his life that easily). It's most probable that he only needs to man up and take control of his life, but maybe his problem is not only the lack of will power to do so, and he needs a therapist to help him from a positive idea of what his life is supposed to be. At the most extreme it might even be a serious problem, perhaps a hormonal imbalance or a mental problem caused because of his environment, in which case a therapist might not even be enough and might need to seek a psychiatrist and start medication. As you said he might just need a kick in the arse, and what I recommended to him actually gets him on this path, but if that is not enough (which is just as probable as per his situation) he might really need someone to tighten the screws in his head that are loose or maybe even missing. Of course, I'm not saying he's crazy, but something isn't clicking right now and he really needs to get it fixed asap.