Variations in personality among people with Asperger's.

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16 Nov 2010, 11:52 am

Do you think that Aspies can be as varied people with ADHD and other disorders can be, or that Asperger criteria is a bit more specific and allows for less ambiguity?

ADHD criteria is a little vague IMO, and many people who have the same traits can have VERY different personalities and learning styles.

I was obsessed with the Myers Briggs test awhile back and I found it interesting to see many extroverted Aspies here.

The general consensus among the public seems to be that Asperger's is also a very specific personality type, and that if people do certain things or posses certain qualities, they just can't have AS, or that if someone has TOO MUCH personality, they aren't autistic.

This doesn't seem, to be as true for ADHD, although I guess most people do think ADHDers are extroverted and "all over the place".

Maybe there is more room for variation among ADHDers and people with other disorders simply because they account for a larger percentage of the population and AS is still relatively rare.

Last edited by MotownDangerPants on 16 Nov 2010, 11:54 am, edited 1 time in total.

MotownDangerPants
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16 Nov 2010, 11:53 am

wavefreak58
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16 Nov 2010, 12:02 pm

Our variations are as much about our special interests as they are about our personalities.

pat2rome
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16 Nov 2010, 12:06 pm

I'd say that the range of variation is just the same as the general population, but it may not be as evident. For example, one person may be genuinely extroverted and want to connect to people, but since they may go about it the wrong way people tend to reject them. Over time, they may appear to stop trying due to this rejection, but once someone breaks through the shell their extroversion is revealed again.

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TPE2
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16 Nov 2010, 12:09 pm

MotownDangerPants wrote:

I suspect that Aspies are usually INTx, while ADHDers are usually xNxP if my theory is true, this mean 2 "typical aspie personality types" vs 4 "typical ADHD personalities".

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16 Nov 2010, 12:11 pm

TPE2 wrote:

MotownDangerPants wrote:

I suspect that Aspies are usually INTx, while ADHDers are usually xNxP if my theory is true, this mean 2 "typical aspie personality types" vs 4 "typical ADHD personalities".

Interesting. I agree with that. I am an INTP and definitely an introvert. Was DXed with ADHD but I don't fit it well with most of them.

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16 Nov 2010, 1:26 pm

I think that many of us would be more extroverted if we weren't worried about saying the wrong thing or looking stupid. The feeling of rejection forces many of us to become introverted, and that introversion hides our individual uniqueness and causes us to all look like we have the same personality.

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16 Nov 2010, 2:13 pm

Squirrelrat wrote:

Yes! That's it, exactly.

I find myself holding back a lot more, in social situations than I used to. This of course gives people erroneous impressions of me, which in turn make me seem even more weird when I warm up to them.

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16 Nov 2010, 2:27 pm

MotownDangerPants wrote:

The general consensus among the public seems to be that Asperger's is also a very specific personality type, and that if people do certain things or posses certain qualities, they just can't have AS, or that if someone has TOO MUCH personality, they aren't autistic..

I don't know who constitutes this 'public' but AS is a specific set of neurological dysfunctions, not a personality type. I think that the similarity in obstacles and problems that we face in life as a result of AS probably cause many similar personality traits to develop, but aside from that, it seems apparent just from the posts here on WP that Aspies can have widely divergent personality differences and still suffer from the same disorder.

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anbuend
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27 Nov 2010, 2:58 am

Autistic people can have the exact same range of personalities anyone else can.

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27 Nov 2010, 5:32 am

pat2rome wrote:

that would be me.

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27 Nov 2010, 6:45 am

We are just as varied as the general population, as far as personality is concerned.

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27 Nov 2010, 8:21 am

I think the answer is pretty simple.

There is certain AS traits/characteristics ... there is certain NT traits/characteristics

Right there it answers the question ... just because certain traits are typically NTs it surely doesn't mean that they are all the same nor that they all have the same personality. Same goes for AS.

Shadi

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27 Nov 2010, 8:32 am

Squirrelrat wrote:

I think many of us would be more extroverted if we weren't worried about saying the wrong thing or looking stupid. The feeling of rejection forces many of us to become introverted, and that introversion hides our individual uniqueness and causes us to all look like we have the same personality.

I believe there is a lot of truth there, and I think that can also happen after (or as a result of) a diagnosis when people become "programmed" or conditioned to view themselves in prescribed ways.

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27 Nov 2010, 10:06 am

Squirrelrat wrote:

I agree. Same as NTs, some are shy and some are more extroverted, some enjoy spending time by themselves, while others would be social butterflies if they didn't have issues with social skills.

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27 Nov 2010, 11:06 am

It haas been very clear to us that there is a pretty full range of types. MBTI just scratches the tip of the iceberg - check out Enneagram.

It DOES look as if there are interrelations, but evidence says even autism proper has variation.

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