I feel different, but I don't feel any less human. In fact, since I spend so much of my spare time studying animal psychology, I've come to realize that most humans behave think and act exactly like the rest of the higher mammals do, and for the same reasons. I can't understand why some people insist that humans are so "different" from other animals (perhaps they just never studied them closely).
"most humans behave think and act"
That doesn't make sense. My brain must have gotten ahead of my fingers again.
I feel different. Less human at times, when the people around me get emotional about something and I don't. More human, when I feel more strongly about something than the people around me. Maybe that's part of it - usually when I feel something powerful or overwhelming, I'm feeling it alone. I don't seek out others to share it with.
Overall, I feel like an outsider, someone observing human beings and trying to mimic them. Unsuccessfully, most of the time.
<hugs>
Athie
I am different. I am human. I am animal. I am proud of all three!!
It's hard to answer as i don't know how other people think, maybe they have the same doubts and securities and they have more strength or self belief to over come them?
Untill I came on here I never knew anyone who thought like I did or saw what made "sense" to me also did to them.
You know, sometimes I wonder whether NTs "sharing" these emotions isn't a way to subconsciously try and "pass on the burden", or lessen the impact for the individual. Perhaps we are just more sensitive to the loss of experience/emotion when having to share these things?
It does look like that. I've observed that people seem to get something out of sharing their emotions, some sort of comfort, but I don't understand it. I don't tell anyone something is wrong unless there's something they can do to help me with it, and there usually isn't. I don't want to burden people I care about with anything they can't change, I don't want them to feel as helpless as I do.
Just yesterday my sister (safe person) and I went to see the new "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie, and on the way there I asked her about the way she, our older sister and our mother like to tell everyone they can about every conversation they have, every phone call they make, every thing they do, in detail, over and over, which looks exhausting and illogical. I asked my sister if everyone does this, and she said she didn't know, but I didn't think just then to ask her why.
Maybe it's a way of figuring things out. Maybe if you go over a situation aloud over and over, you begin to see it more clearly and thus determine out how to proceed.
Hmm. <hugs>
Athie
Batman55, you do belong. You've said in previous posts that you've got artistic talent and that's just as valid as being good at languages or maths. We all have our different areas where we are talented so please don't put yourself down and think you're less intelligent.
Sarcasm + AS often doesn't combine well, especially when magnified to the power of internets. I thought the comments were strangely contradictory as well.
Five said:
Some (not all) people repeat literally "she said... and then I said ...". The purpose might be just communicating with eachother, to achieve a feeling of being together.
Some people maybe share the conversations they had to convince themselves they said the right things, to reduce uncertainty. Another reason might be to create or maintain a certain image of themselves, and repeating discussions to others helps them to impress the person they're talking to now. Or perhaps sometimes they do it for fun, to make others laugh.
Ah, good points here. These possibilities cover more situations than what I'd previously theorized, thank you. I think I'll try to keep this in mind next time I'm overhearing a conversation, and try to see where it might fit.
My sister, I know, is prone to telling stories that make one laugh; she especially does it when I get quiet. Since she's the one I go to about this stuff, I'll ask her about this again, now that I have more to say. Thank you again, Five!
<hugs>
Athie
I know somebody aspie who pretends to be NT but it doesn't work. Then I get told I should do the same and I know it won't be a good idea as I am hopeless at pretending and don't want to be told to be the same as someone else.
Moljner your answer that it's "the NTs who change opinions/ideas based on emotional states" does not account for the many Aspies who can be overemotional (right-brained and sensitive) or the many with mood disorders (Bipolar). Either of those "states," or both, will make a person subject to modifying their response(s) to daily life on a "knee-jerk" impulse, instead of being controlled and neutral and logical about decisionmaking most of the time.
In the case of those with AS, however, it may be that the emotional reactivity/illogical change of opinions thereof is more internalized, and we don't show our emotions in body language/social cues as much as NTs do. But still, we can be just as swingy, moody, and overreactive (if not moreso) than NTs... I know I am.
Veebles, I am a nerd with you...or Geek, as I prefer. I actually shrieked in a joyful and undignified manner when I saw those quotes. <sigh> The good old days!
<hugs>
Athie
One solution seems to be to consciously seek and establish community and participation - to enroll one's self in the "school of sociability" so to speak, so that regular social contact is unavoidable, even though it might not always be actively sought or appreciated at the time. I fear doing this because I know I can get pretty drained in social settings, but I see now that the alternative of complete isolation is not pleasant either.
And I say digress from that and revel in what you want to do, the way you do it, instead of submitting to the anarchy of social interactions on a daily basis.
My estimation is that ASers do not react strongly to EGO appeals - e.g. all things and activities related to vanity, "personality", "me and other people". I would guess this is because ASers inherently have less of an established sense of individual "self" to feed - e.g. the whole "theory of mind" bit. They are still child-like in their concept of self, and thus largely unaware (and therefore unconcerned with) the world's "toys" for ego (e.g. fancy shoes, makeup, sexy clothes, funky hairstyles, accessories, hot clubs, "who's who" lists, etc).
And I say you're a fool, for saying such a terribly oversimplified thing as seen in the bold print. That's not true and if you insist it is, I will fight you on that until your fingers are numb from typing responses.
I know I am different and always will be. But I don't feel like I have AS. I feel normal. I am maturing and keep learning how to cope and will keep learning new skills to cope.