It is indeed poorly defined. Hence why I have problems with the term.
If it means 'too much' as in doing it too much then I don't see how that's always bad. What people think is over-analysing is in fact just analysing a lot, seemingly excessively, etc.
How is it actually over-analysing if it in fact leads to more good than bad? The problem is that if it does more good than bad, it is still often labelled as "over-analysing" since it seems quite obsessive to pretty much everyone I reckon.
If over-analysing just means analysing badly, then I say that often what is said to be over-analysing is in fact good in the long run, so in that sense it isn't over analysing because it isn't bad. How can you analyse too much? We can't stop thinking and we learn from what we think about - what on the surface may seem to be 'over-analysis' may in fact be very good in the long run. If you are defining 'over analysis' as the result, as what turns out to be bad analysis in hindsight. Then I'd argue that quite a lot of what is said to be "Over-analysis" isn't actually bad analysis, that's the thing. It's wrongly said so and it's misleading and confusing.
Analysis is either good or bad on the spot, you can't know what happens afterwards - so to label it as 'over-analysis' simply because you're analysing a lot - is premature labeling IMO. This is why I disagree with the term. I'd very much like to scrap that word and just speak of good and bad analysis. How can you really judge when something is or isn't over-analysis? In my experience it often does more good than bad to think things over and over, to such an extent that many people - almost everyone I reckon - would think of it as 'over-analysis'.
Scare quotes = putting something in quotes to show you're not serious about what you're quoting, etc. Hence rather than : Over-analysis I think of it as: 'Over analysis' - because it's a term not to be taken quite so seriously as it often is.
What is so often thought to be over-analysis, in my experience can be very good - in my experience what I see to be a very useful and life-shaping mental exercise, many many people would deem as "over-analysis".
Scare quotes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scare_quotes
EvF
If it means 'too much' as in doing it too much then I don't see how that's always bad. What people think is over-analysing is in fact just analysing a lot, seemingly excessively, etc.
How is it actually over-analysing if it in fact leads to more good than bad? The problem is that if it does more good than bad, it is still often labelled as "over-analysing" since it seems quite obsessive to pretty much everyone I reckon.
If over-analysing just means analysing badly, then I say that often what is said to be over-analysing is in fact good in the long run, so in that sense it isn't over analysing because it isn't bad. How can you analyse too much? We can't stop thinking and we learn from what we think about - what on the surface may seem to be 'over-analysis' may in fact be very good in the long run. If you are defining 'over analysis' as the result, as what turns out to be bad analysis in hindsight. Then I'd argue that quite a lot of what is said to be "Over-analysis" isn't actually bad analysis, that's the thing. It's wrongly said so and it's misleading and confusing.
Analysis is either good or bad on the spot, you can't know what happens afterwards - so to label it as 'over-analysis' simply because you're analysing a lot - is premature labeling IMO. This is why I disagree with the term. I'd very much like to scrap that word and just speak of good and bad analysis. How can you really judge when something is or isn't over-analysis? In my experience it often does more good than bad to think things over and over, to such an extent that many people - almost everyone I reckon - would think of it as 'over-analysis'.
Scare quotes = putting something in quotes to show you're not serious about what you're quoting, etc. Hence rather than : Over-analysis I think of it as: 'Over analysis' - because it's a term not to be taken quite so seriously as it often is.
What is so often thought to be over-analysis, in my experience can be very good - in my experience what I see to be a very useful and life-shaping mental exercise, many many people would deem as "over-analysis".
Scare quotes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scare_quotes
EvF
