Perhaps it helps to understand that a spectrum can be comprised of a cluster of continua: a possibility space of which any subset can be observed. Like each colour in the light spectrum. The continuum notion in that case can refer to its brightness. Same in the case of emotions. We don’t just experience one emotion at any given time although there’s a prominent one and others might be subdued.
How we cluster certain aspects, such as traits in mental health as well as the threshold to diagnose anyone is of course arbitrary.
Severities in presentations are perhaps seen as a continuum, but the underlying structure that aids in defining it, is a spectrum.
Emotions are each examples of a continuum. You can be any level of sad or happy or angry, etc.
I’m not sure the distinction of spectrum from continuum is useful for understanding the world though. It’s just conversationally helpful.
Perhaps everything is a continuum but we just manufacture a spectrum so we can classify people for our own ease of conversation.
Perhaps it helps to understand that a spectrum can be comprised of a cluster of continua: a possibility space of which any subset can be observed. Like each colour in the light spectrum. The continuum notion in that case can refer to its brightness. Same in the case of emotions. We don’t just experience one emotion at any given time although there’s a prominent one and others might be subdued. How we cluster certain aspects, such as traits in mental health as well as the threshold to diagnose anyone is of course arbitrary. Severities in presentations are perhaps seen as a continuum, but the underlying structure that aids in defining it, is a spectrum.