Does anyone know how to break the habit of literal thinking?

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Literal thinking is an AS habit.

I think and speak literally but would prefer to be able to do so metaphorically. If I could do this, it would help me with my fiction writing.

So, has anyone else faced this issue and been able to beat it, and if so, how?

Thank you.

I've never really thought too literally, but I guess one thing that would help is thinking more associatively, which means seeing the connections between things. Another thing that helps is to think more spontaneous and indirectly. Well I can't really help you much here...

btw, don't overdo it; it's tempting to go from one extreme to the other. Do it consciously till it becomes automatic...
Might take months or years to become automatic, so don't expect a few tips to magically rearrange your thought pattern...

Another thing is, you need to read, see, know, and do all types of random things. That way, you have a ton of references for your creativity. If you tend to be obsessive, then you could only refer to subjects involving your obsession. So yeah, step outside your obsession every once in a while and do something different just for the sake of it.

I don't see why you want to write abstractly. My stories are concrete and I plan to leave them that way. I hate abstract stories and I put the book down if it's too had to read. I hit the back button if a story I'm reading online is hard.

But I do use phrases. I have an aspie character in my fanfiction who uses lot of phases it's like she knows every phrase in the dictionary because she has a book on it.

I also have my own sense of humor and use it. I don't know if that's abstract. I also have characters use sarcasm and humor.

Last edited by Spokane_Girl on 09 Jan 2010, 9:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I don't believe it's a "habit", I think it's just the way you naturally think.

That doesn't mean you can't learn to speak metaphorically.

First, do some research. Learning intellectually how metaphors work might help you understand what makes a metaphor and what doesn't.

Second, experiment. Try writing some metaphors and email them to friends and family for feedback. Be specific - do you understand this metaphor as I've written it? Does it make sense? Have you heard it before? Do you get my meaning?

Third, look around. I find my environment is the best place to find situations that can be made into a metaphor. If I notice one situation is similar to another, I can eventually make a metaphor out of it.

Fourth, look for the humour in it. The best reason to use a metaphor is to explain "what you mean", but also to be funny. ie: "I'm like a dog with a bone when it comes to learning - I'll chew a subject to death!".

I realized I might be taking things too literally once. So I stopped. Then I took completely literal statements and tried to find something metaphorical with them and I was most of the time wrong. Just consider metaphorical vs. literal with everything and if you aren't sure, ask if you can.

I find with AS, the solution for most problem lies in finding a cognitive workaround.

I can't say I had a severe problem with taking everything literally, but I did have to learn to stop doing it so much.

The first step is a cognitive recognition of the problem and a cognitive effort to stop doing it.

The next step is to learn more about metaphor, literature, etc. where many "metaphorical" expression come from. You can do that by spending more time observing popular culture...where most things come from.

That should help you a good deal.

I am a chronic 'literal thinker' but I'm not sure that it is a habit that I have developed.

I think (no pun actually intended) that this is just part of my hard-wiring which, until discovery of my AS, I really wasn't aware of (along with my fine collection of weird behaviour)


Modifying my inate behaviour is difficult because whenever someone says something other than one and one is two (having established and agreed that we are using Base 10) I have to go through a mental exercise considering ALL of the different meanings that MIGHT have been intended by the speaker (as well as occassionally some that belong in the realms of Science Fiction!)

The coping options seem to be;

1. Just ignore it and smile politely (dissembling, which scores BIG points with NTs)
2. Ask open questions to clarify (if I am interested enough in the topic and the person), in other words, go to 'Detective mode'

Incidentally, most people are appauling communicators, NT or otherwise (including me) and so it should be remembered that being confused by a comment made by someone may very well be a common response for everyone NT or AS.

Good luck with the writing.

Read allegorical novels.

I've gotten into trouble with this myself - misinterpreting directions etc, especially at work. I was uncomfortable asking questions to clarify at first, but now it's made it alot better. I don't know how, but I've become aware and now I go - hmm is that really what they want me to do. I can't honestly say how I've developed that though, I think it's just questioning over time to get a better gut feel. I still make mistake because of being too literal, but the ratio's been cut down alot.

It's not a habit, it's how your brain works. You can learn to adapt to how other people talk and try copying how other people talk etc, but you will always have problems with taking things literally, and doing anything other than that will take constant concious effort and will never be 100% effective.

REMEMBER LOTS OF STUFFS!

Learning to use metaphors is like learning all the idioms of any language... You hear it and if you figure it out... remember it. Read a lot. That helps too.

I think literally a lot but I still get things that are said. It irks me that the "true" meaning isn't what occurs to me first... I kind of come across like a dumb blonde, I'm sure, quite often. I have a delay in getting the jokes but it's not like I'm (you or any of us) are stupid... Just gotta find a way to remember and queue the meanings in your mind.

Also, I like a lot of metaphors because they conjure a very specific visual picture for me which helps me remember them. Makes sense and I can use/manipulate the movie for my own puns and such Similarly, I find that I get humor used in sign language (not that I know a lot of it) because it's visually expressed! Have someone sign the word "golf" to you... It's very cool... It adds a whole other sensory input to your ability to asign meaning to words... And that's what really helps me with metaphors is having any sort of contextual visual for it.

I have a book of idioms.

Maybe I should start using it again since there is a none aspie member here who won't lay off the metaphors. He uses them too much.