I’ve always felt uneasy about the use of “superpower” to describe high sensitivity.
Sensitivity is Not a Superpower, So What is It?Sensitivity is not a superpower. It’s an entirely normal and natural trait found in around 20%-30% of humans and over 100 species.
The idea that high sensitivity (or any particular characteristic/trait) is a “superpower” has never sat well with me. I understand the temptation, especially when we’re talking about elements that have been devalued and dismissed by society. But turning a particular trait into a superpower doesn’t help normalise and integrate it into the bigger human picture. In fact, I can only imagine it will just annoy people.
Last year, Scott Barry Kaufman wrote an article for Psychology Today about a study examining links between high sensitivity and vulnerable narcissism. Subsequent research has highlighted the misappropriation of the sensitive trait “as a superpower” to wield in certain contexts.
In this episode of The Gentle Rebel Podcast, Scott and I talk about the problem with superpower language around personality and temperament.
Sensitivity SignallingI got in touch with Scott after his most recent article for Psychology Today about high-sensitivity signalling. So I was delighted when he agreed to a conversation.
According to the research, “there was a zero correlation between sensory processing sensitivity and signalling high sensitivity.” In other words, there was no link between being highly sensitive and constantly signalling your high sensitivity. Signalling was measured on a scale with factors such as, asking for privileges, special treatment, getting help because of their sensitivity, avoiding penalties, blaming mistakes on sensitivity, telling people how hard life is because of it etc.
I struggled to think of any genuine, highly sensitive people I know for whom anything on the list is true. But it does strike me that they could be described as a sort of “superpower”. If by sensitivity as a superpower, we mean the ability to turn the floor to turn to eggshells and bending others to your will. This is a different type of “hyper” sensitivity. Not one I recognise when it comes to the trait described by Elaine Aron.
Scott writes, “A beautiful and complex trait has become co-opted by some people as a victim-signalling strategy– “a public and intentional expression of one’s disadvantages, suffering, oppression, or personal limitations.” Indeed, recent research suggests that victim signalling is becoming increasingly prevalent in our society and can be viewed as an expression of a “culture of victimhood” in which claiming to be a victim isn’t in the service of receiving help and assistance for a genuine disadvantage but instead becomes something actually desirable and fashionable in itself.”
In our conversation, we also considered what self-actualisation means and how highly sensitive people can explore our rich and varied potentials.
About Scott Barry KaufmanScott Barry Kaufman is a humanistic psychologist exploring the depths of human potential. He received his PhD in cognitive psychology from Yale University and an M.Phil in experimental psychology from Cambridge. He has taught courses on intelligence, creativity, and well-being at Columbia, NYU, and the University of Pennsylvania.
Scott is the author of Ungifted, Wired To Create, Transcend, and Choose Growth. He hosts The Psychology Podcast. In 2015, he was named one of “50 Groundbreaking Scientists who are changing the way we see the world” by Business Insider.
Visit Scott’s website to learn more.
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