Research or literature regarding Aspie/Autie loyalty?

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I'm working on a research paper and I keep running across an assumption that Aspies specifically, and others on the spectrum, more generally, exhibit exceptional or atypical loyalty. Unfortunately, I can't find any credible sources to support it. It just seems to be one of those accepted "facts".

I know that I'm loyal to a fault, generally being loyal to individuals long past the point that I should have been (and often to the point of bordeline self-destruction). But I'm trying to find some research or even just expert opinion/commentary that supports the claim. I can put together an argument for it based on other researched traits, but I'm hoping to find more of a direct reference somewhere.

Any ideas?

I used to be loyal, now I'm the opposite.

I reached a tipping point after realising I had AS, and all the multiple disappointments I kept on having with others were not going to get any better

It's interesting that you say that. Once I finally get to the point that I can't trust someone (and it takes me a long time to get to that), I find it very difficult to be anywhere near them. I find it difficult to know that they're even in the same building with me. Being in the same room or having to talk to them is very ...errr.. challenging. I'm not really sure how to describe it. It's not anger or resentment. I feel an almost complete sense of apathy towards them. However, being around them is like trying to will myself to sit in a closed room with someone who's smeared with feces. (metaphorically. There's no sense of smell connected with it, but there's a similar "distaste" and a feelings of something like nausea.) I give my trust pretty freely, but if it's willingly betrayed, there's no recovery strategy.

I guess that even though I realize that it's not the norm (at least intellectually, I know), something at a subconscious level beleives that other people are like this too.

I'm sorry that you lost that trust and loyalty. I can't imagine living without it. Do you still have faith in other AS people?

To a point. Depends on their programming.

If they are an uncle Tom aspie, no not really. I see them as being a mainstream conditioned aspie, and carrying beliefs and ideas that are false.

I'm probably more trusting of counter culture peeps, like goths, skaters etc, than mainstream proponents, that parrot crap like from the news, or other erroneous programming sources.

Whats your birthdate?

I have trust and security issues in my charts....

As you state... you give freely... logically, being then disappointed, then cutting off contact is a natural progression..... of trust easily given. I'm sure wary aspies who dont trust easily.... will be less inclined to 'have the pip' with someone who they were initially trusting with.

Discretion is a good in all areas including trust.

But its cultural... Scandinavians seem more trusting and open, as there Gubbermints seem less inclined to f**k them over.

Some Africans, South Americans and Asians etc which come from evil regimes that are hostile to their own people.... would have less trust overall. Some nations are generally more NT orientated and less AS friendly.....

I would hate to live in those countries.

The reason for the lack of credible sources is because it's a highly general categorical label that would probably not withstand validity if tested across a range of people on the spectrum.

One issue here is loyalty in autism may also be linked on dependence, for instance autistic people sometimes have only have one close friend then their social dependence on that person may be greater than an NT who has a group of friends.

It could be (I am speculating here) that increased loyalty in autistic individuals is a byproduct of their social skills rather than a stand alone trait

Hmmm. There is a certain element to that, I suppose. I am originally Canadian (eh!), so the trust and acceptance are probably part aspie and part socialist-conditioning. (plus I just don't really consider "second guessing" people to be worth the time. I suck at it and I can end up down a rabbit-hole of a thousand different possibilities pretty quickly) It's more expedient to just accept people at face value and correct if neccessary.

Still, the loyalty thing seems to be an accepted trait of aspies, so I'm still wondering where that came from or if it's just one of those memes that came into being without really being challenged.

Well, here is what I could find examining autism plus loyalty:

http://www.kgu.de/zpsy/kinderpsychiatri ... si_scl.pdf

Parents of autistic, OCD, schizophrenic and MR children were compared on numerous personality scales, one of which was 'loyal/dependent'. This was lowered in parents of schizophrenic kids, but the others didn't differ from each other.

http://www.springerlink.com/content/y77375778rg88446/

Case report of a gifted/AS man, who is described as being very loyal to his family.

http://www.ijova.org/PDF/VOL27_NO2/Stro ... y%2030.pdf

Study asking volunteer coordinators about volunteers with disabilities (not just autism) which found many were described as loyal.

That's all I could find, sorry.

Wonderful! Thank you so much. There's certainly nothing to be sorry about here

This was the last area that I was struggling to find support for and this material fits the bill perfectly (it's just a college research paper, not a formal submission for peer review or publication).

Thank you!! ! You've helped to resolve a major stress issue for me. (I was really uncomfortable having references to something that I couldn't back up)