AS like "obsessions" overly focused range/Special Interests

Post Reply New Topic

So, one thing that has never struck a good with me for the descriptions of ASD is the idea that my special interests are not narrow.
They like to give very specific examples of this is books/articles about ASD like stamp collecting from the NE of Argentina from 1850-1900.

Something really narrow like that. I however find that my interests are a lot broader (or they feel so to me!) and I find that when I obsess about things (and I verily do!) it is more a need that spins out of control and subsumes my whole focus and energy and once I get out of that initial phase (length of time varies) I start weaving around that topic and broadening out and then slowly encompasses this huge surface area of interest such that it is only tangentially related, it seems, to what I was initially interested in!

Also, some people mention that their interests die out- mine never do! Other than TV show interests I have liked (which always die out) anything I become interested in pretty much becomes a lifelong interest. And I'll tie new interests to older ones.
It's a bit tiring though...

Although, I initially thought I would branch out to other special interests in an attempt to have more things to talk about with other NT people in the hopes that if I cultivated an intense interest in what they liked... then I could talk more easily... NOPE... just gave me a weird trivial pursuit type knowledge of lots of random totally random things....

Anyone have particularly "stereotypical autistic" interests?
I LOVE TRAIN MAPS!! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! ! Just memorizing train stops and maps and such...

I have an intense aesthetic interest in machinery such as Pumpjacks (machines that pump oil) https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/ff/Pump_Jack.jpg tower cranes, and semi trucks. But especially pump jacks.

I'm fascinated by their movement and the way they function and I even feel a sort of sexual excitement over them sometimes. I could watch youtube videos of them all day long. I even bought a little metal miniature pumpjack (it's a pencil sharpener!) so I can fidget with it and have one close to my bed to look at.

I suppose that could be considered a typical special interest considering how specific it is, but I also have wide interests like music and musicality and singing. Animation and voiceacting are things I'm very passionate about, I know a lot about those topics.

When I was younger they were very narrow, but they're not as narrow anymore. I don't know if it counts as broadening, but one interest very often will lead to another (though not instantly) so I will have knowledge on a slightly more broad subject. Mine aren't lifelong. But I may go back to previous ones multiple times.

Sounds like a fetish.

I said a bunch of stuff about them and that's all you saw? lol...

I think as soon as an interest turns sexual it's a fetish.

I just completely and utterly disagree with that. Who are you to label an interest of mine?

"I'm very interested in this person. The way they think, their interests, and their life story are all so interesting to me. I think they are graceful and beautiful and aesthetically pleasing. Plus I happen to have sexual feelings towards them as well- OH, WHOOPS, nothing else I find interesting about them matters now, they are solely a sexual object to me obviously."

Do you see why I find your response to be bewildering?

Anyway, this is derailment of the original thread.

I didn't. Just said what I thought.

And people aren't objects so it wouldn't be fetishism if you get attracted to people.

[opinion]But I don't think you could claim it was simply a friendship anymore once you're sexually interested. It may not be the whole part, but I don't think it should just be "brushed under the rug" and pretend like it's not a part.[/opinion]

Methinks you've never heard of friends with benefits. Too bad, too. They're pretty wonderful, especially for someone who is aromantic like me.

As an asexual I'm not interested in f*****g anyone.

If you don't even experience sexual attraction, then why in the world would you feel like you're an authority on mine. Why even make a comment about it. Lord.

Never said I was an authority. I'm not, definitely not. And because I'm allowed and because I wanted to.

Well if you ever feel the urge to round out your opinion, perhaps read up on OS/OR a little bit. I feel embarrassed to even be bringing it up but I'm just very tired and frustrated over people telling me that I have a fetish. http://www.objectum-sexuality.org/

Or don't. Whatever floats your boat...

So... a sexuality but because it's not focused explicitly on the sexuality it's no longer a sexuality so therefore not a fetish? Correct me if I'm wrong, please. I'm not meaning to challenge you over this, I'm curious.

I really don't have the energy to continue on with this... just trying to make it known that an interest/attraction for an object doesn't automatically fall under the realm of fetishism, nor does it cancel out the other aspects of the interest in that object. google is useful and explains things much better than I do. become familiar with the idea of animism. this is so off topic anyway. i apologize to OP.

I'm going to sleep now because this world tires me.

Special interests are what confuses me too.

I have intense interests that I tend to research for 14h day, day after day when they are in their obsesive stage (which lenght varries) but I wouldn't say I am "little professor" about them, a lot of people knows more than I do since I tend to research only a small part of them (I am interested in computers only so I can fix my own computer. I got obsesive with MBTI just to discover what type I am and I know only whats related to my type and what I seen during my research, I have no clue about unrelated types. I watch anime but only anime I like and anime similliar to those I like, I don't watch a lot of anime simply because they are not similliar to any anime I liked before).

And it's not like my old interests disapear. They fade as new interest shows up but if something reminds me about them they still "tick" and I will do more research and have fun.

What makes my interest unique are the obsesiveness and the fact they are narrow and quite unigue. I am not into mainstream interests like music, fashion, popular people etc. I am clueless about them. But ask me about lucid dreaming, Perfect World mmorpg, anime with a specific plot, Harry Potter, plane crash, cats red color heridity and some more random things and I will answer any question.