Learning from trial and error

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Learning the Hard Way happens to me more as a byroduct of "learning" from books or stories than it does from experiencing a situation.

[a hypothetical situation:] If I was in League Girl's place, witnessing the kid throwing chairs. it would have affected me directly, in the form of mild trauma as a witness. However, if someone had just told me some story about a kid getting upset and throwing things, it would not sink into my brain and my habits as deeply. Later, in a fit of passion, I might be liable to throw something, because the "don't throw stuff" idea isn't very prominent in my head compared to "ack! I am freaking out! angst!" Sitting in detention for an hour drives the point home hard, and I wouldn't throw things again after that, even in a mindless fit of passion. The emotional consequence from throwing stuff becomes an intense experience, strong enough to cut through a crisis.

As the idea becomes more subtle and abstract, I am even more likely to have to learn it the hard way. For instance, reading about how someone is a jerk in a fiction book really isn't going to resonate in my social behavior. I can ruminate on "that character was a jerk" all I want, but part of me is going to overanlyze it and say "well, that book is fiction, and fiction is all lies by it's nature. It's possible that such activity would not be jerk-ish in real life." Making it even less likely that I would recall that particular life lesson when it would be useful.

It could also be that people on different parts of the spectrum learn differently. Visual, geometric learners would learn better visually through diagrams or hands-on. Mathematical, musical, pattern thinkers would learn better through a discussion of the underlying principles. Verbal, hyper literate thinkers would learn better through a hypothetical story.

It takes all kinds of Aspies to make wrongplanet go around.

I guess that came from my literal thinking. I assumed everything was the same for others and if it was okay for one person to do something but not okay for me to do it, I'd get confused. I always used my eyes to figure stuff out by watching what people do and learning what was allowed and what wasn't. But if something was allowed off and on, it was confusing so it made harder for me to learn. When I know the rules and when I see a kid break them and not get in trouble, I get confused and think it was allowed now. Then I get in trouble when I do it and I would think I was being picked on and I had different rules than other kids and it make me mad so I rebelled. I wanted the same rules as everyone else and be treated like everyone else. My mother could not get me to stop rebelling in school because of it.

I guess my original post, I was refering to the social rules. Aspies might not quite learn something socially until they've messed up. But in pertaining to this post. I agree that all aspies learn differently. Im a visual and hands on learner. I cant learn from reading books about theory. If you asked me to build something, the manuel is mostly useless. I learn better by looking at the structure and figuring out what goes where. Thats kinda how I learn how to work electronics. I learn from fiddling withe device not from the manuel. The manual is boring and doesnt serve me much use. My dad whos also aspie is a huge manuel person.

What did you think of the team up films - I recall one with Daredevil (in which he had infrared vision rather than sonar but was still blind), one with Thor, and one with Doctor Strange? I think they got a bit cheesy but at the time it was fun to see Marvel characters on TV. It wasn't like these days where it seems like every major Marvel character is appearing in movies.

I actually watched most of the series when it first aired. One thing that bothered me was it seemed like there'd be a love interest in every episode, but she'd often get killed in some way so the Hulk could go on a rampage. Am I remembering this correctly? I mean not killed in every episode, but it happened fairly often.

I never saw the Trial of the Incredible Hulk, though. I had no idea that they'd killed the character.

The series seemed pretty low-key compared to the comics. Seeing Ang Lee's film was kind of a revelation in terms of scale although I still think the plot was problematic. I own the movie and rewatch it occasionally despite that.

.... so, anyway.

I learn things by doing. I don't learn much from reading and less from listening to a lecture, but if you give me something and a clear set of instructions on how to do it, I can learn it quickly. Usually. Unless I can't, which has happened with some things.

With some things (usually technological things) I have a much closer to intuitive grasp - as in I could work out how to program VCRs and such years before they were particularly user-friendly. These days it matters less as most things are much easier to use than they were before.