aspies less able to see purpose behind events

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why are aspies said to be unable to see purpose behind events? what is preventing them from doing so? anyway, i am also unable to see purpose behind events and it really bothers me.

By 'events', do you mean an occurrence of a thing, or a social function?

Often, the purposes people see behind events are pure nonsense. I prefer to not have my brain filter all kinds of weird motivations and assumptions onto something as simple as the weather or someone getting in my way at a supermarket.

Are you referring to this article?

People with Asperger's less likely to see purpose behind the events in their lives.

Last edited by Verdandi on 27 Jan 2012, 7:38 am, edited 1 time in total.

Seeing purpose behind purely coincedental and explainable events is called teleolgoical thinking, it is superstitous, magical, paranormal dribble, and autistic people are less likely to have such thinking, thank f**k.


Another interesting note is that children who have no prior experience with religion are slanted towards teleological thinking - they will choose magical explanations over equally simple rational ones.

what event? what do you mean by purpose? what is the purpose of purpose?

Interesting. Maybe there is a spectrum for teleological thinking, with schizophrenics occupying the mega magical thinking end, and aspies at the other. NTs tending to fall near the middle of the scale.

I scanned something the other day that said that people with religious or spiritual beliefs were psychologically more robust and less prone to depression. This could be a factor in higher rates of depression in people with Autism/Asperger's.

I don't know. So many things are different about autistic cognition that there may be no correlation there at all for us. My source of depression, for example, has nothing to do with religion (and becoming less religious has coincided with my depression's attenuation). I find - speaking for myself - that there are a lot of things that NTs seem to need or want that I do not need or want, and in some cases do not even understand.

On the other hand, it's not as if autistic = not human, and it seems to me in general that autistic people are much like other people in a large variety of ways. It's an interesting question, at least.

That is to say, I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm just not sure.

I have no doubt that my post was putting things very simply. Nothing's ever that simple.

I have views on why certain individuals find religion or beliefs in higher powers constructive or destructive, but I don't think the basis would lend themselves to a discussion in this context.

Well, your post could be correct. I just can't seem to form an opinion on it.

I'll say that I found religion frustrating and depressing because it's simply not concrete or real. I'm supposed to accept something so illogical as "god is responsible for everything" but is totally invisible.

So, effectively you are experiencing some deficiency in capacity to teleologise? (I think my spellchecker thinks I'm inventing words again)

Pardon my wording, I'm not saying that teleological thinking (or it's lack) is a good or bad thing, either way. I think I may have stumbled on the reason why I find the majority of the posters in PPR so frustrating I'm sure that they would think a capacity for teleology was a sign of insanity and a terrible flaw in a human being that should be eradicated, if possible.

My mind is a little bit blown by this thread... I suppose it all points to how much neurology shapes a person's reality experience.

In my experience, most autistic people don't think teleologically like many NT's.

What is it that blows your mind?

My mind was blown the first time I read that article I linked. I mean, the idea that most people go around reading all kinds of meanings into everyday events was a surprise to me. I mentioned it to a friend, and she thought it was weird that I didn't.

I know I used to get into discussions with my mother in which she'd attribute things to "god" and I'd be like, no...that's caused by this and this and this. What does god have to do with it? But I didn't see that she was doing that with everything as a systematic thing that her brain does, but rather individual things that could be debunked. It was a bit frustrating to find that because it's a wholistic view of the universe, that debunking individual cases was impossible.

None of this means I have never been religious, but I took religion very literally until it became obvious that the things it said didn't seem to have any palpable existence.

Why would anyone think most events have any meaning? That's just.....strange

Sh*t just happens. Doesn't it?

My personal hypothesis that I've been "working on" for awhile (thinking about when my brain floats there) is that low levels of oxytocin in autistics as compared to neurotypicals --> lower levels of social trust --> less prone to belief in the capacity of an unproven "other" to help them.

I think both teleologically and evidentially, not sure why, may have something to do with bipolar pattern of my moods.

After many years of observing several types of people, I can conclude that most people project. People who have mind games played on them, cheating spouses, your typical drama alot of people don't understand why it is going on or why it is happening to them. Why their best friend decided it was okay to manipulate them.

Often the real difference is, autistics come up with multiple ideas of what is going on, why it's happening. You get lost in all of these reasons or ideas where as alot of people come up with a conclusion quickly even if it's wrong and stick with it. When you don't have a big social circle, nobody is filling you in on the reasons you are left out. Only people in this social circle know and it's not because they all came up with the right idea of what is going on, it's because of one person who knows more who tells members of that social clique.

When you are different, people tend to gang up on you more playing games inside of games then having a good laugh when you just don't get why. So try multiple mind games from different people going on at once. All have different motives even though some may share the same motive and you are the lucky winner who gets to be their little target.

You don't know why they are doing it, you don't understand. Why? You don't think like them and to you these head games are immature and you don't like to play them therefore you aren't on their level. They aren't on your level.

This is actually quite normal but when you are different you are the scapegoat for problems everyone has but tries to hide or they assume their first conclusion is correct which can be both positive and negative. If it's one of those cases where you never admit you were wrong and tell alot of people your conclusions about someone casting someone in a negative light which isn't the truth, then you turn into a drama king or queen who cares more about yourself and being thought of as right.

I've noticed hypocrisy all over. People have treated me as though I have to understand their mind and why they are doing this and that. In return, nobody has to understand my point of view for the same things.

If I get upset, this is what happens -->

If someone else gets upset over something very similiar I am expected to --->

Last edited by TheygoMew on 27 Jan 2012, 12:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.