Uncertainty

Has anyone read a book or textbook (specifically educational), and was uncertain about the meaning of a word or part of a text which was connected obviously to more text for the author to create an idea to teach, which led you to feel uncertain about the whole interpretation of the information you read? If so, did this actually cause you a lot of distress and provided this information was important to you, made it difficult to function? If you need me to elaborate more, let me know please. I am in great need for discussion and ultimately help with working through this. Its been bothering me for a long time now.

Isabella BT

Date posted: Yesterday

I used to get this at college in classes so I totally understand. In those cases I was able to talk to my professor and confirm what I was reading which helped me to understand the material better in the long run. What’s the context of the information you’re reading? Is it at work, school, social life etc?

Mike6060

Date posted: Yesterday

Thank you Isabella for taking the time to read and reply. So, I read a psychology textbook for personal interest. When I read through it I had no problem understanding what I read. In the context of a textbook and not a novel, there really wasn't any word I needed to look up in the dictionary. However, a good amount of time went by, and at a point, I started overthinking as I tend to do, doubting that I interpreted the information correctly because I don't have formal preliminary knowledge of the references made to biology and maybe chemistry or broadly anatomy and physiology. Part was illustrated but other parts relied on your knowledge base. Given it being an introduction to psychology textbook, they didn't go into depth on the biology, etc. subject outside of a chapter on the biology of psychology, only using pertinent references to maybe certain structures and functions of the brain etc to aid in educating you in psychology. If you went to highschool and/or college, which I did, it may even be common knowledge. I found this textbook very useful and it became a staple for how I engage with daily life. Having OCD and anxiety, as you know from the platform we are on, having the uncertainty of whether the information I have adopted from the textbook is correct or not is driving me crazy. Psychology information is not as simple to brush off, at least for me. After all, you learn information, adopt it, and use it. What do I do with the information when I retrieve it and no longer have confidence in it when it's essential to my thought process?

Mike6060

Date posted: Yesterday

Perhaps the answer is to learn how to deal with the uncertainty and I started ERP which may take a while to address and get through this theme but do you have any ideas or coping solution that you could offer? 😞

Isabella BT

Date posted: 11h

@Mike6060 Ironically my degree was psych so I totally understand what you’re experiencing regarding the subject. I would offer the thought process that even if you didn’t fully interpret the information “correctly”, if putting it to use helps you any way, does the risk of not getting it exactly “right” actually matter? I find questioning my doubts helps a lot. For example if I were in your shoes I might say to myself “even if I got this wrong, what’s the worst that could happen?” Because 99% of the time, the worst case scenario isn’t that bad at all. In response to your second message, being comfortable in uncertainty is something I’m working on too and it’s really challenging. It takes time and there will be ups and downs but from what I can tell, ERP really helps

Mike6060

Date posted: 6h

@Isabella BT Wow, that is ironic (and fortunate) that your degree is in Psychology. Isabella, may I add that I don't know where the uncertainty lies exactly so it makes me doubt the entire textbook. I don't know where the references to bio, etc. were. Thus, I have no confidence in referencing what Ive learned. I've read literature in college that I also found valuable. Ive read books psychological in nature like one related to body language - just to add more clarity and context. It reshaped how I think, feel, and behave as I believe the psychology textbook did as well. As you did, but obviously more in depth, I got to read and learn about human development, emotions and motivation, language, learning and cognition, memory, sensation and perception, states of consciousness and personality. I embraced this information, had it reshape my thought process and how I make conclusions or decisions relative to daily life. Would you agree or am I just putting too much emphasis on the value of it? I read your profile and see that you are interested in fitness as well. I've read a good amount of information on nutrition for personal interest, like psychology (also stemming from my motivation to help with my anxiety and add substance to myself), but have a somewhat similar issue with relying on it because I don't remember the authors so I don't know if the sources were reliable thus also adding uncertainty and doubt. I've read all of this information a good while ago and at a time where I have a lot of time to think these conflicts were created. If you read all of this, I thank you very much. You are kind and empathetic.

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