Do Germans have Asperger's Syndrome?

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I haven´t read this whole thread.....

Though I just thought I´d add that I live in Germany at the moment, and, well, there sure seem to be plenty of NTs here! If they all have Asperger´s Syndrome, then I must have it 10 times over.

Of course not all Germans are autistic, but I can't help but think that maybe a larger percentage of them are. And by extension, maybe the German cultural values simply started to accommodate that after a while.

I've traveled around a bit, and I know quite a few Germans, mainly because you always seem to run across a large group of them in every country you visit. Sure, I've met Germans who were really social and affectionate, but I recall most of them being at least shy if not outright antisocial, and yes, very picky about having things in order and routine. An Austrian (also a Germanic nation) I worked with while volunteering at a retreat center once spent six hours washing windows, trying to make them spotless. Eventually the head housekeeper just told us to go and get him.

I also went to Germany (Kiel/Hamburg) for a weekend to visit a guy I'd had a huge crush on for a couple years. I left out of London and had spent the day before in Liverpool, lugging around two large suitcases because I had no idea there were any such thing as train station lockers. (where's the "dunce cap" emoticon?) In Liverpool I had people stopping every five minutes asking "Are you all right? Can I help you with those?" Whoever said Brits were reserved and aloof--not true. Two days later I'm in Kiel, dragging the same two suitcases around looking for the hostel, which took forever to find since it's in a rather odd (but beautiful) location. All I get are weird stares...and even somebody snickering at me.

Not to mention that "Mr. Wonderful" himself was never too much of a social butterfly. I feel kind of bad in retrospect for intruding on his space--he tried so hard to make me comfortable, he meant well, but I got the impression that I was pretty much just disrupting his routine and that this sort of thing wore him out. He was basically dragging me around, saying things like "First we will see this and then we will do this...." in the sequence he wanted. Oh, and he ate the same smoked fish sandwich with the same sparkling apple juice for lunch both days I was there.

I've also seen a German guy on a different message board who pretty obviously has AS, even though to my knowledge he's never said so. Ever seen My Fair Lady? He's Henry Higgins. And yes, he really is a linguist. And yes, he will nitpick at your tiny errors and argue to the death about pointless details.

I am from Germany living in the US since the age of 25.We Germans are brought up controlling our emotions & not draw much attention to us.Unlike Americans who are raised to look at themselves as individuals,Germans think as a regiment.For instance,every blue collar worker wears the same outfit at work:blue jeans overall.I am a machinist by trade.Although i have to say it was not my first choice,it was the easiest choice in terms of steady employment.Again that regimental thinking.My late father was a Jew from Poland & my mother lutheran from the eastern part of Germany.That being said,i did not experience the socalled "typical" upbringing other Germans receive.But no doubt,the influence of german society played a big part as well.German do like to argue,but they are not the only nation who does.Israelis like to argue just as much.There the similarities end.While Germans may try to avoid each other after an argument,Israelis are looking forward to the next time & ask their opponents to give their family their regards.I always considered most Germans to be smartaliks.They like to show off how much more informed they are.I was always annoyed by that.
Then there is the issue of formality.Germans expect to be addressed by 'Herr' or 'Frau' (surname).If it's a doctor,'Herr' or 'Frau' Doktor.If i would great a new neighbor 'You',i'll be asking for trouble.Another dilemma i could never deal with.
German jews always tried to pass for German first before being jewish.i have noticed that during my childhood in the 70's.
Thanks to living n the US i was able to break free from most of the german mentality within me.Americans love to start a conversation,even if only to talk about the weather.Therefore Americans have no idea how much help they have been for me.I hate to think of what my mentality would have looked like if i remained in Germany.
Right now i can't think of anything else worthwhile to be mentioned.But i'm sure there will be more.

I think it is true that while most Germans are NT their culture seems to be more accepting of Asperger's traits than the USA. The stereotypes of not having a sense of humor, being unemotional and a little bit cold, industrious, very organized, always follow the rules, blunt to the point of sounding rude, etc. These may just be stereotypes, but if a culture is very accepting of these traits then it will make sense that the gene pool would have more Asperger types (as a disorder is just a deviation from the norm). Germans even have legally enforced quiet hours (many aspies can't stand loud noise). If you take someone from that culture and put them in the extroverted USA they are going to stand out. I even heard a Robin Williams stand up routine where he talked about being on a German talk show and made a joke and the talk show host just took what he said literally and did not laugh at all.

Silly.

Silly that certain cultures may be more tolerant of or even prize Aspie traits? Please elaborate.

As for Germans and Asperger's - my father's family is from Germany, and all relatives I've met from that side of the family had those characteristics.
Additionally, the Germans I've encountered were much more unique than any other people I've encountered.

I don't think it's the "Aspieness" of Germans. It's about cultural and societal norms and values. German culture (broadly speaking) may be akin to Japanese culture in that sense that you do have so many unspoken and codified rules that it can shape your way of being and the way a society looks to an outsider.
Me, living in Germany, I wouldn't say that I felt or feel particularly accepted. Maybe not that pressured or bullied but not accepted either. Tolerated would be a better word here and that's what I see with most germans and how they react to people that are or seem a bit different.
You have to differentiate between macro (society) and micro (individual) perspective.

My maternal grandfather grew up in a German/Chinese mixed family. He, his children, and I have always identified a fair bit with German culture and social norms in general. Also with our Chinese side, just as much. We're all actually kind of off-beat, but when we watch German television or read German books, et cetera, there's always that sense of recognition, familiarity. It's something that was handed down to us from my great grandfather, and his father before him (who was full-blooded German).

I've always felt kind of drawn by the German 'Gründlichkeit' and 'Pünktlichkeit'. While I'm certain that German culture also favours 'neurotypical' traits, and values hierarchy, I find it a more accessible culture for me than, for example, Southern European cultures that are more emotion-centered.

I've been to Germany twice for a total of a few weeks. Somehow, in a way, it felt like home more than the country I grew up in.
There's much more natural beauty in the German landscape than there is in the Dutch, and German culture is much more appealing to someone who happens to love the Middle Ages the way I do.
Even cities in Germany aren't as bad as the cities we have here.

Eh, I don't think any ethnic group should be classified like this. I'm sure there's plenty of nts.

It was a response to OP.

In my experience,...there are definitely more NTs in Germany than people with AS.
In my lifetime I may have come across 3 at the most.

Remember, Oktoberfest. That doesn't seem very aspie-ish... I've encountered that most love to go to parties and get drunk (sometimes even before the party starts).
I'm not saying everybody is like that...It's the indiviual level that counts at the end. That's why I'd agree with jamieevren.

But those are the Bayern! That's different from the rest of Germany, not unlike our two southern (Catholic) provinces Noord-Brabant and Limburg here in the Netherlands.

In my experience Germans tend to demonstrate more Autistic traits than any other culture I have been exposed to.

They seem to be rather rigid and mechanical thinkers, always looking for the distilled facts, to the exclusion of 'social' interaction.

The title of the thread made me giggle...

I spent 2.5 years in German-speaking countries. I have been told that I look rigid and speak jerkily because I have become too "German" (I was the same before)

There are many traits of the German mentality that are definitely Aspie-friendly, especially when applied to the workplace - like punctuality, priority of the content of the work over the social side, a systematic approach to problems, minding your own business, following rules and routines, etc. I'd say it's a great environment to work.
That doesn't mean they are all Aspies, of course.

I must say that getting along with German people outside the workplace was often a very puzzling task for me. Social cluelessness on my side and "coldness" on theirs made a very awkward combination sometimes - even if they were very nice people and I liked them a lot.