Psychology: What's it called when you have a thought not of your own?

[Descartes]

I know there is a name for this, but the name escapes me. It's not subliminal.

For example, a friend of mine is constantly getting these "ideas" that are regurgitations of my own. He is not doing this intentionally, but since we work together we are often collaborating on some fairly complex topics. I tend to be a better communicator whether it be written or oral, and he's almost always a recipient of these communications. Quite often he'll come back to the same issue a few days later and express these thoughts, and more often than not they are almost verbatim of my own.

I think we all do this at times. I know on a few occasions I've had what I thought was an original idea only to find that I had actually read it somewhere else.

Know what I mean? Anyone know what this is called?

 

[Queasy]

P&N Psychosis?

 

[Lonyo]

Repeating stuff?

 

[Descartes]

Another example:

Another friend of mine was taking that online Mensa test, and there was a question about deriving the only valid anagram out of the word insatiable. After about three minutes of thought he yelled with satisfaction, "insatiable!" True story.

 

[Descartes]

Originally posted by: Queasy
P&N Psychosis?

That's actually a good point. I've seen the same thing happen there quite a lot. I guess I'm referring to the disconnect between acquired knowledge and what is perceived, by the person communicating the thought anyway, to be an original derivation.

 

[dmw16]

plagerism?

 

[Descartes]

Originally posted by: dmw16
plagerism?

That would be a manifestation of this problem; however, there is something in psychology that refers to the notion of assuming information without consciously doing so. I know this sounds like simple subliminality, but there's more to it than that.

Sorry all, I know I'm not articulating this one very well.

 

[thirtythree]

Source misattribution maybe, but he's not really confusing the source, he's forgetting it altogether. An example of source misattribution would be someone who has a "childhood memory" of something he actually saw on a television show. Priming makes concepts more accessible in memory and thus more likely to come out later, but I don't think that's what you mean either. Don't know.

 

[pontifex]

uh...remembering?

 

[torpid]

Could be False Memory Syndrome, although maybe there is a more specific term relating to something that happened to someone else specifically and not just "didn't happen to you"

 

[QED]

Sounds like the contrapositive of Deja vu...

 

[Descartes]

Originally posted by: thirtythree
Source misattribution maybe, but he's not really confusing the source, he's forgetting it altogether. An example of source misattribution would be someone who has a "childhood memory" of something he actually saw on a television show. Priming makes concepts more accessible in memory and thus more likely to come out later, but I don't think that's what you mean either. Don't know.

That's pretty close actually. Perhaps another example might make this clearer:

In my working environment people seem to latch onto certain word choices. One of those on my team likes the word "triage", and after he first used it I suddenly found others using it just the same. Some consciously decide to start using the word, but others do so only when they hear it from a perceived authority figure as though it sounds more official. It's almost as though they have such a mental bias that they can't help but do so, but when asked they almost always think they have been using that word all along.

Still another example. When I joined a project a few years back I was giving a presentation, and to articulate my ideas I started using an industry standard type of a diagram. I had already been there for a few months, and I had attended many presentations; not a single person used this diagram or any like it. After I used it I suddenly found every other person in the group doing the same.

In thinking about it, I'm guessing this is something of a composite mental bias. Some might obviously think to themselves, "I like that. I'll use it." Others might do the same but have no recollection of the time when they actually acquired the knowledge/idea; it's almost as though some people do assume such things almost subliminally.

Anyway, I'm almost certain there is a term for what I'm trying to say, but maybe my own mind is biased in some way.

 

[CaptnKirk]

Originally posted by: MathMan

Sounds like the contrapositive of Deja vu...

Ah, the old 'Vu Ja-de' trick . . . .

 

[nakedfrog]

Déjà senti?

 

[Accipiter22]

as a psych major I can tell you the technical term: Riding dick.

as in:

John: "I feel that the next generation BMW 3-series is a vast improvement over the current model"
You: "Dude I said that last week, stop riding my dick".
John: "FORSOOTH! I have been scandalized!"

 

[Descartes]

Originally posted by: Accipiter22
as a psych major I can tell you the technical term: Riding dick.

as in:

John: "I feel that the next generation BMW 3-series is a vast improvement over the current model"
You: "Dude I said that last week, stop riding my dick".
John: "FORSOOTH! I have been scandalized!"

LOL! Thanks man

 

[Kyteland]

Originally posted by: Descartes
Another example:

Another friend of mine was taking that online Mensa test, and there was a question about deriving the only valid anagram out of the word insatiable. After about three minutes of thought he yelled with satisfaction, "insatiable!" True story.

Bite anal, si?

Oh, we can't mix English and Spanish. Sorry.

 

[WildHorse]

If they're really happy or up, you get a "contact high."

Or, thought transferrence.

 

[fitzov]

Originally posted by: pontifex
uh...remembering?

yeah, memory FTW!