Is it possible to be weird, but have good social skills?

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DevilKisses
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28 Apr 2017, 4:02 pm

Pretty much all weird/eccentric people also seem to have social issues. Is it even possible to be weird and charismatic at the same time? I know some people can be cute and endearing because of their weirdness and awkwardness. But there's always some sense of disrespect.


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Joe90
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28 Apr 2017, 4:21 pm

The way I see it, every neurodiverse disorder affects the person's social skills in some way, but their core symptom is not social deficits the way autism disorders are (one of the core symptoms of autism IS social deficit or social awkwardness). ADHD, Fragile-X, Down's syndrome, Bipolar, and many more do still affect social skills of the individual, in some way. So other disorders like that can make a person seem odd or eccentric.


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kraftiekortie
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28 Apr 2017, 6:26 pm

Very possible. I've known some "weird" people with good social skills.

My social skills have gotten better over the years, to the point where I can say that mine are "borderline good."



starkid
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28 Apr 2017, 6:46 pm

Yes. Some people can act more "normal" but just don't want to. There are ways to be weird that aren't really social.



magnum233
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28 Apr 2017, 7:19 pm

It really depends on the situation and environment. I would of made an excellent leader of my now departed Clan for Starcitizen, i may still do in future gaming clans. Ive often wondered if i was a strategist in a war how would i do, i think quite well. Some men and women with social difficulties when placed in the right situation can do what many people can't.

For me atleast its about the situation and what im doing. I fail at a party im always the guy standing over in a corner getting weird looks from people well atleast till ive had a drink 'not the best tool for aspies - can lead to alcoholism' but in an emergency situation i seem to become courageous. Its what ive experienced during the occasional earthquake. Suddenly survival mode kicks in and i do whatever is necessary as fast as possible instead of panicking like alot of people do. If think if there was ever a war and my little country had to defend its self from invasion i wouldn't be sitting around hiding in a hole somewhere.


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JustSomeUser
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29 Apr 2017, 1:00 pm

"Is It Possible To Be Weird, But Have Good Social Skills?"

Short answer: Yes

The key word in the original question is "Skills" which by definition is something a person develops over time. When I was younger my social skills were terrible. I'd speak quickly and quietly during conversations, avoid eye contact and look uninterested to others (just to list a few examples).

I ended up taking private impressionist acting lessons (learned to copy other people's mannerisms and behaviors) as well as getting involved in public speaking (Toastmasters). It was quite rough on me for the first year or so but eventually I was able to develop a solid foundation for my social skills.

Nowadays I do quite a few business presentations as well as interviewing job applicants.
Ultimately the only way to gain social skills is to practice using them. The two hardest parts are finding an environment that allows you to do so and pushing yourself out of your comfort zone.

Being a bit weird is perfectly fine once the social skills are in place. At that point it's simply a part of your character. Plenty of public people are/have been weird but it doesn't/didn't overall negatively affect them (Eddie Murphy, Bill Gates, Robin Williams etc).



naturalplastic
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29 Apr 2017, 3:15 pm

Most sociopaths would fall under that rubrick of "weird, with good social skills" including a guy I knew personally who had some sociopathic tendencies.

People with Williams Syndrom might often be described that way as well. Williams Syndrome folks are rare, and are known for being "compulsive socalizers" . If you're in a room with one they will be driven to interact with you. For that reason Williams Syndrome is sometimes called "the opposite of autism". They dont necessarily have any better social skills than anyone else, but some of them probably do.



Ljj5000
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29 Apr 2017, 4:14 pm

I think it is very possible. I have mild autism and some people never seem to notice. Others may notice it more. I guess there are different variations of it. There are plenty of "weird" people who are good at socializing from my point of view. They may put on a image when they are interacting with others.



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30 Apr 2017, 3:00 pm

+1 thought provoking post


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Dear_one
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30 Apr 2017, 5:55 pm

DevilKisses wrote:
Pretty much all weird/eccentric people also seem to have social issues. Is it even possible to be weird and charismatic at the same time? I know some people can be cute and endearing because of their weirdness and awkwardness. But there's always some sense of disrespect.


Emo Phillips. Robin Williams. George Carlin. Lorne Elliot. Stephen Wright. Woody Allen. Steve Martin. Peter Cook. John Cleese. Even freakin' Michael Jackson. Plus a certain POTUS. Jimmy Swaggart. Adolf Hitler. Ayn Rand. Ted Cruz.



CuriousButDepressed
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30 Apr 2017, 10:07 pm

DevilKisses wrote:
Pretty much all weird/eccentric people also seem to have social issues. Is it even possible to be weird and charismatic at the same time? I know some people can be cute and endearing because of their weirdness and awkwardness. But there's always some sense of disrespect.



While I've only recently been formally diagnosed with Asperger's, I've always known I was eccentric/weird/colorful, any word that describes an unusual person, that word would describe me. I guess it depends on how self-aware the person is that their quirks are not socially accepted and how well they can adapt to scenarios. Surely, it's possible to be eccentric and have good social skills, as people with antisocial personality disorder (sociopath for the laymen) are not wired typically, yet can blend into a setting to manipulate it to their advantage. In short, I'm guessing if one had sufficient self-awareness and practice, they could be eccentric internally, but have decent enough social skills to blend in with NTs.



Dear_one
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30 Apr 2017, 10:11 pm

Maybe a better question is if it is possible to be charismatic without being rather strange?