Differences between obsessions and normal interests

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Gracey72
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24 Jul 2013, 11:41 am

What is the different between a normal interest and an AS obsession I'm trying to find out if my interests are "special" or not which is kind of hard at the minute because I'm "between interests".



HopefulFlower
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24 Jul 2013, 11:44 am

Obsessions:
I can't stop talking about it on and on and on.
I can't stop thinking about it for the most part.
I want to know everything about it.
I want to buy everything related to it.

That last one doesn't always apply.


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chlov
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24 Jul 2013, 11:46 am

My interests can even prevent me from doing everyday stuff.



Gracey72
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24 Jul 2013, 11:49 am

HopefulFlower wrote:
Obsessions:
I can't stop talking about it on and on and on.
I can't stop thinking about it for the most part.
I want to know everything about it.
I want to buy everything related to it.

That last one doesn't always apply.


All of them are true expect the first one. I can deal without talking about it/them but when the topic(s) come up in a conversation them I want to say everything I know about it/them.



Joe90
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24 Jul 2013, 12:05 pm

I just get a different kind of feeling with an obsession to a casual interest. When I have an obsession, I want to find out everything I can about it, I write endless stories about it, I draw endless pictures of it, I will get into a bad mental state of I was to lose it, I think about it the majority of my time, and I don't know when to stop talking about it to close people.

With a casual interest, it's a little different. I don't keep thinking about it all day, and I only talk about it sometimes, like everybody does with their interests. I don't want to find out every single thing about it, and I don't write endless stories or draw endless pictures of it, maybe just the odd picture or odd story perhaps when I'm bored or something. It can make me feel good but I just don't get that obsessive feeling, and if I find out a new fact about it I don't always memorize it or I don't get excited.

That's how I experience the differences between the two.


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CockneyRebel
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24 Jul 2013, 1:45 pm

A special interest is something that makes me happy. I think about it and celebrate it a lot. I want to buy everything that's related to it. I make up many avatars about my special interest as well.

A regular interest is something that I like, though I don't think about it all the time, or buy related to it.


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GregCav
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24 Jul 2013, 4:24 pm

By the sound of it, I don't have obsessions (perhaps muscle & classic cars back in my 20's).

I do have many special interests that take over my weekends (in a good way).



Ettina
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24 Jul 2013, 4:27 pm

I don't think I've ever had a normal interest.

If I am interested in something, it consumes my thoughts. It's one of the most wonderful feelings I've experienced.



vanhalenkurtz
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25 Jul 2013, 3:05 am

Lost the wife, the car, the house & the kids for "it." Clearly not an interest, definitely not a hobby, not even a lifestyle. A special interest is a bloodtype & it's in the blood.


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