Is Apathy a symptom of aspergers?

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OK, I got the joke answer out the way.

I think you're confused about what is or is not apathy. What you're describing sounds more like the typical aspergian lack of person to person empathy, our inability to instinctively know how a person feels and relate to it. That's... not completely universal, but it's certainly something the vast majority of us have to deal with. I wouldn't worry abuot it much - trying to learn the appropriate response for dealing with others is important, but whether you're just going through the motions or not isn't something I'd concern myself with.

I'd like to suggest one aspect of this situation, namely AS-ers and reticence when it comes to interaction. I would suggest that many of us appear more apathetic than we are because we are more reluctant to take action unless we can make a difference or it involves something or someone that really interests us. Of course this does not imply aren't *internally* motivated.

Actually, the empathy issue there is within the realm of social cues, and I think the two are not the same. We feel empathy, but our expression of it can be seen as interfering (that's where the porr social reading comes in). That is, you try to help, but you get told to butt out.

I believe we want to help (that's empathy - or attempted empathy if you like). We just aren't 100 percent sure how to go about it.

I know I empathise. I wouldn't have a wife if I didn't!

We are often seen as lacking in empathy, when we do have empathic feelings.

However, I believe that if we didn't have a "shield around" our ability to feel toward others, we might be overwhelmed by our experience of their feelings, and would have a hard time functioning on a daily basis; I'd go so far as to suggest that this is why big crowds can easily overwhelm us.

I know that we experience discomfort when things get too intense, it finally made sense to me since others explained their feelings here. I was cooking, company was due soon, busy, pressure, company arriving, everything's on the stove, too much happening, had to go to the garage and take a break ...

If we were as empathetic as NT's, I'm not sure we'd survive watching the daily news without having to scream "Stop the World! I want to get OFF!"

I am like you in everything you described that I copied above. When I do something, I either give it pretty much my all when I care or none at all when I don't. I hate doing things half-heartedly.

Some things do make me more feel more emotions that others when it's probably the opposite with NTs.
I also feel that some things affect me more at different times. I wouldn't say it depends on my mood or anything I can specify but some things only affects me at certain times.

This disparity with others and poor relations probably caused me to be much more apathetic now.

I'd be more apathetic if I weren't so lethargic.

I do this - shut down entirely. It seems to last about two weeks, during which I don't talk to anyone, interact with anyone. Then I crawl back out of my "hole".

After doing it for a number of years, I can kinda get by with work now - not well, but ok. Then I go home and hide.

Then it goes away.

It seems to be a "normal" type response to too much stimulation, too many expectations, and too much pressure (whether internal or external; it doesn't seem to matter). I have learned the warning signs and how to postpone for a while, until it is more convienient for work, because I pay close attention and watch for the warning signs. And I take them very seriously.

I've found that if I just relax and let it happen it's much easier dealt with and goes away much faster.

No, not really but I don't care.

The OP's description sounds just like me.

whenever im in a unfamiliar situation, i will just search my brain's 'hard drive' and try to find the approriate file to execute, if that makes any sense. most of the time, i couldnt find the drive, so i will just usually stand there, feeling akward and just wondering what would normal people would do,

one time, my friend was feeling sick, he even throw up, i dont know what to do. i know im suppose to do something, but i just cant figure out what it is.

talking about feeling apathy, i rarely cried or even shed some tears. i mean, when my grandfather died, i couldnt cried, though everyone did. its not like im cold or anything, its just that, i just cant cry, and i dont know why eventhough i know im suppose to me. i mean, he is my grandfather, i should have able to shed at least one tear,

is this a sign of AS or just it means that i just dont cry at things im not really into or interested in?

I didn't cry when some of my relatives died, but I did cry, the day after I've read in the newspaper that the last of the regular Routemasters were taking off the 159 route in London. I guess that I don't cry over peoples deaths, no matter who they are, because so many of them have been dicks to me, throughout my life, and especially my peers.

I'd sure be crying if Chico died. I love animals.

i'd say it's boredom [ennui]

i think at some point a started seeing through all those obsessive interests that have also shaped the choices i made. and i think i made all the right choices for aal the wrong reasons; given my talents, i should be reading anything lingo (it became dutch linguistics & literature) but i was at uni i suppose rather looking for some structure i could function in: be amongst the likeminded

so every obsession managed to 'co-incide' with yet another class &c, which i ended up not finishing as i could have or not at all - not for want of ideas, but i simply lost motivation

i suppose my motivation had too much to do with countering my loneliness [or rather aloneness] to be sufficiently fed off real interest for the subject

in the end, things or obsessions do not companionship offer

so mayby i lost a personal interest in being interested, simply couldn't see enough of a point to it all to warrant getting up for
that spells boredom, emotional scepticism

it isn't even proper depression, it's certainly not a black dog, it's just grey
there's light grey (happily alone) and there's darker grey (...)
and it is always there, in some deep layer of me,

it is lack of will, lack of volition

which parts of the brain are involved in the emotion of will???

is will an emotion?

why am i so excited over WP and AS - is it just going to be another temporary
promise of connection, or is this real enough in me, to remain my point...?

I've been wondering about why I'm so apathetic to certain situations. I have almost no desire to make friends with people my age. I enjoy chatting with people in class or at work or whatever, but any invite I get to do something purely social, I have zero desire. Even with my closest friends, while I enjoy socializing, after a few hours I just want to be back at home on my tv/computer. I fear that it has gotten worse. I have no desire to socialize, and am bored in social situations. I'd think I was depressed except that I still feel lots of excitement in regards to my interests and other things. But I am socially apathetic - I just don't care to have a regular amount of social contact with my friends. I do much better with small children and adults. I'm going to see someone about it, but it's hard to explain. I know a therapist will tell me I have social anxiety disorder or depression, when I am sure it is AS or OCD or something more 'discriminate.' I feel as though if I had social anxiety, most social situations would panic me - only pure social situations with people my age make me worried, and often it's more boredom than anxiety. And I feel if I was depressed, I would find my entire life boring, not just things like this. That's why I believe that it is AS - I'm just not social, but I get a lot of joy out of very specific things. But people keep telling me to be more enthusiastic and I am just not.

That's actually very true! It's why boredom scares the crap out of me. I need to be doing something, and something that interests me.

That's also why I go off when anyone interferes with that.

Working is very boring. Not very interesting at all.