Just out of curiosity....
Have your special interests over time usually come from the same basic categories of subject and/or media?
I've realized mine have almost always been
A) involving surreal and/or scary stories and views of the world
and
B) in the form of either book series or TV shows. (I think I prefer these because you can get your own copies and read/watch them over, and over, and over, and....perseveration is FUN!
)
Does anyone else have special interests that have always followed the same basic theme and/or format? Or is the tendency for special interests to be more wide-ranging over time?
I think alot of my facinations I've lately had has evolved from some books of history I've leafed in.
I never know where they will come from next. Mine come from a wide range of topics or activities and used to last an average of 2 years. As I've gotten older, particular special interests have lasted up to 10 years
Before adolescence, I had temporary special interests related to particular areas of science. Since I was 14 four years ago, I've become interested in all areas of science I know of, as well as professional soccer (and I would follow other team sports as well if it was possible to get enough information on them. I've always counted science fiction and fantasy books as an interest too. My goal is to be interested in anything it's possible to be interested in.
All or almost all are very oriented towards the visual (i.e, movies, comics, specific styles of or movements in art, alphabets, music--which is visual for
me at least
). Surreal and fantastic aspects are also a strong draw.
Typically my strongest interests have been in areas of science, history, or mythology/fantasy (I like it best when it's both!). I also go through patterns of being obssesed with one song or CD for weeks, then not being able to listen to it without screaming- and I do the same thing with foods sometimes, too. But those aren't really "interests", per se.
I've also recently developed a strong interest in anything gothic or victorian, preferably both, and things that are surreal and morbid.
And I've always been very interested in visual media- books, films, photography, art, ect.
Nearly all of my interests are related to two subjects: biology or geology. Of course, those are wide topics in themselves, but I don't think I've ever had any obsessions with history or other humanities.
Except the occasional obsession I get with a particular movie, and I have to watch it every day.
I guess losely science - and things that I don't know much about at the time and that other people aren't into. As I get to know more about it, the interests seem to get more specific.
When come to think of it I usually have my interests n things that I feel I don't know much about, and for the interest to evolve I definitely need something to start with that is easily available.
I am about to learn programming. I have often wanted to start programming but now I have finally found a place to start the interest, the free trial of Phrogram.
When I think again yet another time I think I obsess about things that could be supply to a fantasy I am evolving at that moment.
I am not totally sure what my fantasy is like today. It seems to have changed alot recently. Currently it is at start of the next Ice Age with focus on it as a time of alot of death among animals and humans aswell as a new pioneer age.
It seems DickweeD got a grudj and a wrongful concept of cause and effect...
Many of my interests have started without any clear thought and only after some time I've sort of stood back, thinking over things, beginning to analyse and organize.
I think it's rather safe to say that serendipity plays a major role in most of my interests.
During the winter 1994/1995, I started to collect and process scrap metal; salvage bottles and cans; salvage stuff from dumpsters, beaches, illegal dumps, road sides etcetera... I'd done this but on a much smaller scale since I was a kid.
A friend, who was interested in those old 50ies coke bottles, said that he'd pay me big money if I found any of these. I did, but I declined big money as I thought it ludicrous to put such a value on coke bottles so instead of receiving 6-8 usd. each, I settled on a more reasonable sum. Or I'd just give them away for free since the reason I was doing this in the first place was that it was FUN.
Tomas
Post # 11 refered to a post that is now deleted.
Have your special interests over time usually come from the same basic categories of subject and/or media?
My special interests over time develop from a rather wide and not so deep area of interest towards an increasingly narrower area of interest and at the same time becoming deeper. Graphically: a peak that becomes both narrower and higher. It started with philosophy, psychology and religion. It's now psychology (including enneagram and Asperger's) and religion, and it's gradually becoming religiousness only, but religiousness in an increasingly narrower sense (enlightenment), with books from fewer and fewer different authors. But the time I spend at my special interest(s) remains the same or becomes more, so my interest becomes much deeper. Parallel to this my interest in (the well-being of) other people increases, I become less indifferent. Perhaps this has also something to do with becoming older.
There's a great need for spontaneity in the formation of my interests. A need for being empty of all kinds of expectations. And only after some time of playful interaction with the object of interest start to sort-categorize- analyse-take control-assert power. In some way I project my self on the object.
I guess it could be better described if I knew more about developmental psychology. Something tells me that the inner workings of the process that underlies the formation of my interests is very much like those of a child aged 2-3 years, or something in that general area.
My mind is watching the mirror all the time hopeful that it will show me my face just once... I'm not kidding you...