AS as Form of Narcissism

Post Reply New Topic

Before the nation-state model started, states were generally cities. I don't think it is a trivial point, but I agree with you that it is off topic.

I think Asperger's can make us appear narcissistic, but our behavior is not a result of the same thought processes as a true narcissist.
Wearing a gorilla suit doesn't make one a gorilla...something like that.

Except when you consider that the lack of empathy is a prominent feature in both AS and NPD diagnosis criteria.

I think narcissists also lack sympathy, though, where aspies do not.
We don't want to offend people.
Narcissists don't care if they offend.
(I'm not an expert on narcissism, though. I may be wrong.)

I think that the absence of empathy is for different reasons. With NPD, people simply do not care. For those on the spectrum, it is the ability to empathize, or perhaps to effectively express empathy, which is lacking.

It gets especially tricky to tell the difference when those with AS develop a trait of compulsive lying. It does apparantly happen:

http://vnboards.ign.com/gawaine/b20708/105285039/p2/

http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30453

These cases are possibly gross misdiagnoses, but it may be possible that AS and NPD can actually be co-morbid.

This is an interesting read- The Image of the Mother's Eye: Autism and Early Narcissistic Injury Maxson J. McDowell, Ph.D.

http://cogprints.org/2593/1/eye22fixed_ ... rints.html

Last edited by WaterCarrier on 10 Dec 2007, 2:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I wonder how many of us here can't even remember or don't know what our mothers' eyes look like, even when we last saw her mere weeks ago?

I remember my mother's eyes. I had just flown in to be at her bedside before she died. Her brain cancer had advanced to point where she was losing motor control. Her head jerked around and she barked out incoherent sentences. It was hard to tell if she knew who I was.

Then, just for a moment, she looked right at me and beamed me her love with smiling eyes. She died the next day. I hope I will never forget my mother's eyes.

As for the narcissism, we who grew up with this condition grew up alone. We developed coping mechanisms that centered around ourselves. As I used to tell people, it's hard to pay much attention to you when I have to look down at my feet so I don't step off my tightrope.

dp

In a way, aspies are lying all the time. Our social behavior is learned (like gesturing, eye contact, etc.) and we have to think about it. It comes out fake. It IS lying -- it isn't what we'd naturally do. It makes us look deceitful when we're not. At least, that is part of my working model for why everyone seems to hate us so much.

I'm the opposite of narcissistic, I'm actually caring person. Most of my most horrible Aspie bad-at-social-interaction embarrassments occurred when I was trying to help people.

I believe you. The problem is, perception is reality (it isn't, and I'm sure this causes many other hairs to raise when reading it, but to NT's, this is a truth!). NT's can't see we care. All they see is that we ignore them because we don't respond to their song because we don't hear it. And because NT's are more narcissistic than we are, that deeply offends them.

Carl Jung & Adler where introverts writing there peace on introverts Adler & Carl Jung Based they theory on they Internal world, Freud also was working with them who was an extrovert who broke up with them & started writing introversion as a turning inward away from the world on his piece about narcissism. That then made it from healthy to unhealthy but it's changing now...

If u pick up a physiology book & turn to the personality disorder you will find Freuds part about introverts...

http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt50903.html