Can you become autistic from being on Wrong Planet too much?

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btbnnyr
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24 Oct 2011, 10:29 pm

Ganondox wrote:

Neurotypical people who hang around autistic people act autistic as NTs naturally mimic the behavior of those around them, however they do not turn autistic as autism is something you are born with, and the very thing that makes NTs act autistic in these situations is part of what makes them not autistic, if that makes any sense.

My mother has become more autistic from half a lifetime of living with me and my father. She says that she used to be a normal person. But even after half a lifetime of autistication, she still behaves in an obviously NT manner around other NTs.

Tuttle
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24 Oct 2011, 10:33 pm

swbluto wrote:

Ganondox wrote:

Yes, NTs may "act autistic" when imitating the autistic behavior of someone autistic, but those NTs don't believe they have autism so it's not a long-lasting affect when they go to interact with other NTs. An NT who hangs on the forum and convinces themselves of being autistic might, however, not be spared the damaging long-term effects of that self-concept.

I've actually met an NT who started believing that she was autistic (specifically from associating with people with Asperger's in person)...Though she had some of the traits of autism because of her social anxiety and depression.

Last edited by Tuttle on 24 Oct 2011, 10:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.

btbnnyr
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24 Oct 2011, 10:33 pm

swbluto wrote:

Ganondox wrote:

Perhaps an NT who thinks that they are autistic will burn out after some amount of time (months? years?) of trying to act autistic. Like autistics do after years of trying to act NT.

swbluto
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24 Oct 2011, 10:39 pm

Tuttle wrote:

swbluto wrote:

Ganondox wrote:

I've actually met an NT who started believing that she was autistic...Though she had some of the traits of autism because of her social anxiety and depression.

Interesting. Do you know if she's the type that will look at everything in the worst possible light?

Like, say, is she fairly pessimistic?

swbluto
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24 Oct 2011, 10:42 pm

btbnnyr wrote:

swbluto wrote:

Ganondox wrote:

Perhaps an NT who thinks that they are autistic will burn out after some amount of time (months? years?) of trying to act autistic. Like autistics do after years of trying to act NT.

Depressed people don't "burn out" of being depressed and an NT who's convinced of being autistic is undoubtedly a depressed soul, because no reasonably content NT would wish themselves to have such a malady.

Ganondox
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24 Oct 2011, 10:58 pm

swbluto wrote:

btbnnyr wrote:

swbluto wrote:

Ganondox wrote:

Perhaps an NT who thinks that they are autistic will burn out after some amount of time (months? years?) of trying to act autistic. Like autistics do after years of trying to act NT.

No, using Autism as an explanation could be reliving as it is an explanation, and there is some advantages to it, and being convinced you are autistic is not wishing a malady onto yourself, it looking for an explanation of behaviors you already had.

Tuttle
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24 Oct 2011, 11:00 pm

swbluto wrote:

Tuttle wrote:

swbluto wrote:

Ganondox wrote:

I've actually met an NT who started believing that she was autistic...Though she had some of the traits of autism because of her social anxiety and depression.

Interesting. Do you know if she's the type that will look at everything in the worst possible light?

Like, say, is she fairly pessimistic?

She started associating with Asperger's because it was a description for traits of her that wasn't her being "broken" from her past. She developed both anxiety and depression because of how she was treated in various manners as a child. Asperger's would have made it not be because of how she was treated that she was that way, and that was preferable in her mind.

She stopped thinking she was within 3 years of starting. I didn't associate with her much during much of that time so do not know what point it was that she swapped, other than > 6 months < 3 years.

btbnnyr
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24 Oct 2011, 11:08 pm

swbluto wrote:

btbnnyr wrote:

swbluto wrote:

Ganondox wrote:

Perhaps an NT who thinks that they are autistic will burn out after some amount of time (months? years?) of trying to act autistic. Like autistics do after years of trying to act NT.

I was thinking that maybe some NTs who were really convinced that they were autistic would try to adopt as many autistic behaviors as possible to further convince themselves. Like they might start doing the same repetitive activity all the time and maintain that behavior even though it was not particularly enjoyable for them. They might enjoy it at first, especially if it helped them convince themselves that they were autistic, but over time, the lack of mental rewards of that activity would catch up with them and they would get sick of doing it and the whole bunch of other things they were doing that were consistent with autism. But yes, a non-autistic person would have to be having problems in life to start thinking that they were autistic and even more so to convince themselves.

swbluto
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24 Oct 2011, 11:09 pm

Ganondox wrote:

swbluto wrote:

btbnnyr wrote:

swbluto wrote:

Ganondox wrote:

Perhaps an NT who thinks that they are autistic will burn out after some amount of time (months? years?) of trying to act autistic. Like autistics do after years of trying to act NT.

This is true for those who do possess a fair number of autistic characteristics but, in that case, they're not "really NT". But, for the stereotypical NT who doesn't actually possess said characteristics, they're undoubtedly depressed because a NT who's happy with themselves would not so whole-heartedly embrace a label with such a negative stereotype associated with it. Btbnnyr's mother, for example, clearly deplores it.

That's kind of like saying someone's who's one of the duller crayons in the box would embrace down syndrome. No NT would ever embrace Down Syndrome because of the negative stereotype associated with it (Let's say they're dull enough to be unaware of the visual differences between them and someone with DS).

cyberdad
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24 Oct 2011, 11:14 pm

swbluto wrote:

So, it's well known that you tend to imitate those who you associate with. If a person has been associating around those who tend to use pedantic/pretentious language, are stand-offish, antisocial and adopts the values of the autistic culture which are sometimes at odds with the neurotypical culture, could someone who was originally neurotypically effectively become more autistic? I.e., can someone who's actually neurotypical act more autistic in real life from being on here too much?

Also, considering the excessive computer use effectively diminishes one's social schools to autistic like levels, that's another way being on Wrong Planet too much might make someone more autistic.

On the contrary...I Identify autistic like traits I have from reading other peoples posts, collate and minimize the manifestation of these traits in everyday life.

swbluto
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24 Oct 2011, 11:19 pm

cyberdad wrote:

swbluto wrote:

On the contrary...I Identify autistic like traits I have from reading other peoples posts, collate and minimize the manifestation of these traits in everyday life.

Well, it's true, there'll be those who are convincing themselves of having autism and trying to prove it and there'll be those who are trying to improve it.

There be those to prove, and those who improve.

There are those who want to (im)prove.

Verdandi
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24 Oct 2011, 11:28 pm

swbluto wrote:

Verdandi wrote:

It seems less common and less likely for people who aren't autistic in the first place.

But maybe it's incredibly common for certain types of non-autistic people or half-autistic people who happen to share a few similarities with aspies. Like, say, high IQ socially awkward introverts? Or socially awkward boring and weird nerds? Or maybe weirdos, period? Or possibly schizoids or near-schizoids or near-schizophrenic people? Or people with non-autistic communication difficulties like ADD individuals or people with Specific Language Impairment? Or OCD individuals? There might be a lot of NTs who may be tempted to assimilate and adopt Wrong Planet's culture and assume the "Aspie identity" because of being somewhat similar at the surface but are actually structurally different.

Given the lack of a rush, I'd say it's probably not incredibly common. I wouldn't say it's unknown either. You can trick your brain into all kinds of things given enough conviction - I know one guy who tricked himself into a manic episode and thought he was bipolar, but he only ever had the one and never again.

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I know that I don't "stim", I don't have "sensory sensitivities", nor do I seem to possess stereotypical repetitive behavior but yet I seem to identify with Wrong Planet's culture and I seem to have many similar types of social and cognitive difficulties as the people on Wrong Planet. Maybe I'm aspie or maybe I'm not, but if I'm not, then fooling myself into believing I'm aspie is not going to help me one iota in real life. If anything, it's going to be harmful as I'm going to unnecessarily undercut myself.

You don't have to pick one. You can also go for BAP if that makes sense to you. I mean, whatever helps you most.

It sounds like you could at least use a therapist to talk this stuff out. Even though my therapist knows very little about autism, she's actually been great for me to just talk stuff out.

CockneyRebel
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25 Oct 2011, 12:27 am

No, you can't become the way that you're born by being on WP all day.

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CockneyRebel
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25 Oct 2011, 12:30 am

If I type on a keyboard all day, do I become a keyboard? If I look at pictures of ladybugs often enough, do I turn into a ladybug? No.

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swbluto
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25 Oct 2011, 12:37 am

CockneyRebel wrote:

No, you can't become the way that you're born by being on WP all day.

Lol, I'm asking about neurotypicals who are on WP all day, silly person.

claudia
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25 Oct 2011, 6:10 am

swbluto wrote:

CockneyRebel wrote:

No, you can't become the way that you're born by being on WP all day.

Lol, I'm asking about neurotypicals who are on WP all day, silly person.

No, I don't think it can happen. I don't know many other NTs on WP anyway.

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Can you become autistic from being on Wrong Planet too much?