Intellectualization and Emotional Avoidance in Online Family-of-Origin Narratives: A Study Based on the Experience–Analysis Spectrum

Abstract

The concept of the family-of-origin has evolved from a professional psychological term into a mainstream public framework on social media for interpreting psychological distress and developmental struggles. While the widespread circulation of related psychological content facilitates public mental health literacy and helps individuals recognize childhood traumatic influences, it also raises an underexplored paradox: theoretical comprehension does not equate to authentic psychological healing. Many individuals routinely adopt standardized psychological frameworks to interpret personal developmental experiences, relying primarily on rational analysis while deliberately suppressing genuine emotional responses, thereby entering a covert state of emotional avoidance. Grounded in clinical psychology theories, including psychological defense mechanisms, Adlerian psychology, and experiential emotional healing theory, this paper dialectically examines the dual psychological impacts of family-of-origin narratives on social media. By constructing an original Experience–Analysis Spectrum evaluation framework, this study distinguishes adaptive experiential narratives from maladaptive theoretical narratives. The findings suggest that the algorithmic logic and labeling tendencies of social media encourage over-theorization and oversimplification of personal trauma, transforming therapeutic psychological knowledge into a defensive psychological armor that obstructs emotional processing. Beyond a binary positive–negative evaluation, this research offers novel insights into fostering more rational public engagement with online psychological content and improving the communication of mental health knowledge.