This intimacy economy is tapping into the deepest parts of our intimate psychological infrastructure
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The modern mind is a column where experts discuss mental health issues they are seeing in their work
Michael* is an engineer whose company embraced the AI wave. He enjoys testing ideas with chatbots. But his manager has become worried about his judgment and reliance on the tech.
“He literally cannot make any decision without running it past AI,” the manager said. “He’s developed a very off-script interpretation of our business goals, and he’s losing his team. If we can’t get him back on track I think we’ll end up parting company”.
Contingent responsiveness – replying instantly and tuning to your emotional state.
Unconditional positive regard – always validating, never distracted.
Memory and continuity – remembering your stories, preferences, anxieties.
Linguistic identification – producing verbal caring without any lived caring.
Narcissistic empathy – validating your self-image without question.