Who Am I?

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EXPLANATION:

I was using a coding convention of four categories or themes for everyone's answers. The categories are:
A-self identification not requiring reference to others, such as "I am a man"
B-self identification requiring a reference to other people or a social institution, such as "I am a mother"
C-self identification which is more abstract, but abstractly refers to a social institution (I was grouping self-identification based on interests in this category), such as "I enjoy music"
D)-self identification which transcends human social action or interaction, such as "I am an intelligence" or "I hope to improve myself"

I was coding answers based on a study published in 1964 which compared the "normal" population's answers to this test to mental patients. The study included behavioral information connected to identity, so the interpretation of behavior I gave was from that study (by McPartland, Cumming, and Garretson: "Self-Conception and Ward Behavior in Two Psychiatric Hospitals"). This study also looked at how the patients were supposedly behaving and therefore how they were treated. This helped me to see what kind of identity seems to be congruent with acceptance in society.

According to the study, typically developed people operating normally in the general population define themselves mostly with B answers. People who answered with A answers supposedly have "passive" identities and behavior and are more likely to be targeted as abnormal/withdrawn. C answers indicate people who can function normally most of the time but are sometimes a "problem" because they may not choose to obey social norms. D answers are abstract concepts of self and are not supposed to be seen much in the general population. So like A, D people are more likely to be targeted for thinking in unique ways, which likely influences their behavior.

NT people are more likely to answer with a few As, then mostly Bs, a few Cs, and no Ds. In that order.

When I was receiving answers I was looking at people's profiles to see how they identified on the spectrum. I was interested in that some people gave answers that were not what I was expecting from their diagnoses. I had already suspected that ASD was being diagnosed more on external behaviors and less on internal states and this is mostly what I'm studying. Receiving answers about people's identities that to me, conflicted with their identification on the spectrum led me to believe that what people are told they "are" is not always well suited to their internal state.

I will probably include this test on my thesis, but perhaps tweak the coding to give more specific categories of self. Of course the coding convention I was using did not account for ASD.

DISCLAIMER ONE: I am a sociology grad student and cannot diagnose anyone. All I can do is say that something looks like something else.

DISCLAIMER TWO: This was not an official study and this information will NOT be included in on my thesis. I just wanted to know if it was worth studying officially. I will continue to check this thread and interpret answers based on the coding convention I have. I will also continue to respond with the coding interpretation via PM.

THANK YOU to everyone who replied or will reply.