How important are your special interests to you?

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I feel this way about my hobbies (painting, writing, and reading sci-fi) but not about my special interests. The former are a source of comfort and distraction from my problems, while the latter are merely temporary obsessions. They are not an intrinsic part of my identity. Now, if you took away my ability to pursue those obsessions when they arose, I don't know what would happen, whether my hyper-focus would fizzle out or only intensify, but because of the nature of my interests, I've never had to find out. I have had people criticize me for pursuing some topics because they "don't matter." I found it very obnoxious, but I didn't react beyond that. I've probably criticized the same people in my head for engaging in conversations and other social activities that seem useless to me. We all have different needs, and sometimes it's hard to recognize them in others.

Pets-very important. They give me joy looking at them.

Tennis-Fun, and provides good exercise

This is to me a very important thread, and thanks skibum.

***As I wrote before on a couple of other threads, understanding how having a special interest works (becomes amplified, intensified and why), is the key to understanding autism. This said, I think a lot of how special interest works can be understood from a psychological angle re the formation of the personality in that having an intense special interest can compensate for certain internal uncomfortable feelings and/or to fill an inner hole. and why not? Interest is what moves people, not just autistic people, but everyone, actually.

I have also written that I think the genetics angle is way overplayed by people trying to understand autism, and this is to the detriment of individual autistic people who are falling into this glitch. but also to the autistic community and even broader society in general, BUT in the instance of having intense special interests, I think there is a strong genetic component. The only way to understand it, though, is by putting both genetics and the developed/conditioned personality into a social individual/group survival greater context.

My mum tried to threaten my special interest in Hogan's Heroes and German helmets three years ago. I made the decision not to visit her for 5 months as a result. I felt angered to have a mother who wanted to take my happiness away from me. I still feel down in the mouth when I think about it.

Very important.

But they can change quite regularly.

I have one in particular that defines my very character. I've chosen my career based on it and have a dedicated room (or as my wife calls it, "the lab") for it in my home. My special interest is who I am.

I’m pretty obsessive with my special interests... I’m not going to list them, but they get me in trouble usually. I struggle without them.

Unpopular opinion here, but I don't like to call my intense interests "special interests" because it seems pejorative.

Do I get obsessed with researching and learning about specific things? Yes. -but I'm a scientist, so that's what makes me good at my job. I don't like NTs suggesting that this part of me is some kind of oddity or a problem. I mean, it's not like NTs don't get obsessed with things. Why is an NT's obsessive interest in gossiping at lunch not a "special interest" ? It seems far more useless to me than mine.

skibum,

Yes, I miss all of my pets very much. I have had many pets that lived very long lives.