Are you aware of your own emotional state? & Other Quest

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1. I have very poor awareness of my own emotions, especially strong emotions. However, it is quite possible to learn to use the words for emotions appropriately.
2. I worry a lot about what other people will think/say. Lack of understanding of other people's feelings, does not automatically mean you are naive. I in fact worry a lot *because* I don't know what others feel/think. Also, some autistics do indeed have a strong intuition but don't know how to respond.

Thank you for all your responses. This is very helpful. I am not doubting my son's dx, there are so many things about him that clearly fall within the autistic spectrum. After we received the dx (from a different psych who specializes in AS), we did extensive research before accepting it. We are very confident and comfortable with it. As a matter of fact, I also wonder about whether or not my husband and myself are more than a little bit aspie too, but because neither of us is formally dxed, it may not be accurate to include our own experiences in the discussion. Suffice it to say that my son's experience right now with the keen awareness, plus cluelessness about what to do about it, equalling great social anxiety was the story of my own childhood too (and often adulthood as well).

I knew that the psych was incorrect about people with Aspergers always being "oblivious" to their own emotional state, as well as those of others, but I wasn't sure exactly how to refute his statement. I really appreciate the answers to my questions.

Alexithymia is what that's called:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexithymia

I'm not sure I can answer the OP's question, besides the AS I have, I have an undiagnosed emotional problem. Basically a disconnect between my intellect and emotions. Essentially think of a computer, but emotions are there yet DC'd from it, and I'm not sure whether the emotions that are there are intellectual creations, or actual emotions that I just have a defensive barrier against. Hopefully the latter, would be easier to manage I think.

1. Yes and getting more aware of the cocktail every day

2. The CONCEPT of other people having emotions and feeling is a very simple one for me. No problem and no problem responding to the concept


Where it gets tricky is recognising emotions and feelings if the other person is inconsiderate enough t0 not to have a neon sign on their head telling me their feelings (and especially their thoughts) are.

Since I dont always/often recognise feelings and thoughts of others I am often unable to give a response

I know what I'm feeling most of the time; sometimes I'm not aware of my stress level or how far I can safely push myself. I'm working on that last one. My counselor says I have very good self-knowledge, though I think that while she is right about my general ability, knowing yourself doesn't mean much for being able to influence your own feelings based on that knowledge. I can, for example, know perfectly well I shouldn't be feeling guilty about burning out and dropping most of my classes for a quarter; but that doesn't stop me actually feeling guilty.

Other people having feelings? No problem understanding. I have feelings, so I know what they're like for me; and while it's different for them because they're different people, it's still in the same broad category. They talk about their feelings all the time; and I can read some of the more obvious expressions (smiles, crying, etc.); plus, the exaggerated feelings of TV shows and the explicitly stated feelings in books show to me what people must feel. The only thing I don't really get is what it must be like to constantly be able to read everybody else's feelings; because I am pretty self-contained when it comes to that. I am as affected by the news that somebody has died, as I would be sitting in the funeral home with fifty other people also mourning that person. Being around other people feeling the same thing, or something different, doesn't seem to affect me... which may be why I haven't cried at the funerals I've been to--not because I didn't miss the person (in one case it was my grandfather and I had liked him and did miss him)--but because I don't catch and amplify everybody else's grief, like NTs seem to do at funerals.