I’ve had this little pet theory about high achievers and depression for some time. It boils down to:
They apply the same thinking patterns that make them excel at work (= very controlled environments with binary answers, requiring perfectionism and attention to detail - e.g. programming, maths, fact-checking, engineering, arts) to every area in their far less binary lives.
If you have very high standards at work you likely apply very high standards to yourself. How you view yourself is frequently how you view others, which can be destructive for relationships.
If your job is searching for bugs 8h a day you likely develop the thinking pattern to take even the smallest issue very seriously.
I agree, but I think sneaking the word "high achievers" into the conversation is part of the problem.
"High achievers" shouldn't be people who scored well on tests (IQ tests, the SATs, etc.)
They should be people who achieved things in real life! For example, building something people use (e.g. not "playing house" for investors), reforming our legal system or government, excelling at sports, music, etc.
There's a certain part of the population that I'm familiar with where achievement means "performs well on metrics that somebody else designed".
But I also think there is a large part of the population who "calls bullshit" on that value system. And I would call that "common sense" more than anti-intellectualism.
The former kind of "achiever" lacks agency in the world, and that's probably a major reason why they're depressed (speaking from past experience). It's human nature to be depressed when you're being judged and have to jump through hoops set up by others. It's also natural to be depressed if everyone's telling you that you achieved something, but yet nothing in your life is actually better.
I guess it goes back to the comment about passing the IQ test but failing the intelligence test ...
I've been previously diagnosed with a major depressive episode by a psychiatrist. The psychologist I used to see told me I had very black and white thinking and that I need to work on seeing more areas as grey.
I'm one data sample but I fit your description to a tee.
I've had similar ideas. Pessimism is a personality trait which make for excellent designing and debugging in that it makes it easier to anticipate and identify problems, but if you can't turn it off outside of work, it can severely hinder your quality of life.
They apply the same thinking patterns that make them excel at work (= very controlled environments with binary answers, requiring perfectionism and attention to detail - e.g. programming, maths, fact-checking, engineering, arts) to every area in their far less binary lives.
If you have very high standards at work you likely apply very high standards to yourself. How you view yourself is frequently how you view others, which can be destructive for relationships.
If your job is searching for bugs 8h a day you likely develop the thinking pattern to take even the smallest issue very seriously.