Poor Hygene as a Defense Mechanism

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I was reading a Spider Robinson book Very Bad Deaths where there is a psychic character. This makes close proximity to others painful. Thus, he creates a very powerful stench around him to keep others at bay. When he becomes older, his psychic abilities become more sensative, and the stench no longer is sufficient to keep others away far enough. Thus, he abandons it, and retreats to a remote island.

Do you think that it is possible that the poor hygene often associated with AS is not solely due to lack of care, but (subconciously) to keep others away?

yeah, right. . that's what it is. . .defense mechinism

couldn't be that we are too oblivous to the fact that we stink just because it came upon us gradually, could it?

It's interesting to see someone postulate that idea, About 15 years ago I took that approach for awhile, to repel certain people, but it didn't seem to work. I have AS, so yes, I could imagine other aspies doing it too.

*I don't do it now, though

i do it in order to attract people who are more like me.

Nope. And I shower daily. That's one thing I dont' understand, how aspies are supposedly fond of poor hygiene. For me, it's sensory; if I can smell myself, that's no good! It would bother me. And if I don't brush my teeth, I feel gross. (I constantly chew mint gum because I notice every little particle in my mouth.)

Not as a defence mechanism.. If anything its just due to deep depression and lack of motivation.

I think it can also be due to poor motor planning/coordination. Sometimes it is just too much work, thinking, and planning involved, so things start to slip. When an NT might not even be conscious that they are clearing the table, someone with dyspraxia may have to concentrate completely to get that plate from the table to the sink.

Totally!!

if poor hygiene is a kind of defense mechanism, that is definitely NOT our chraracteristic at birth, am I right? so, its is just one of our idea to keep Nts at bay, or to distract them from our real difference while busy criticizing that adopted trait. On the other hand, they cannot hurt us because we know what they are blaming us for.
I am messy, often leaving my things lying around. I have roomates; I guess they feel annoyed by that. For the past years, I've been feeling very guilty, never knowing why I keep on being so disorganized and can never have a better manner. I tried to change myself, but I guess it's part of me that can never be changed. I feel comfortable that way, and still I know all my stuff because they are truly in an order to me while appearing messy to NTs. What used to bother me is not my mess but NTs' criticism which hurt my self-esteem. now I am making efforts to ignore NTs and their advice on that.Can my messy trait a defense mechanism?
My neighbor is extremely clean - I don't want whether it's also one of her defense mechanism against others or not? She might be an NT, if that is the case, is she a weird NT. I don't see other NTs that clean.

Very much agreed. Self-care is usually the first thing to go...

Last edited by Quirky_Girl72 on 27 Sep 2007, 7:28 am, edited 1 time in total.

Well, I have only had that problem a few times.(Over my life, about perhaps 14 days, less than .1% of my life). The reason? Lack of time, caught up in interests, just dumb luck.

Having it as a defense mechanism sounds dumb.

I just have a hard time remembering to think about it.
I bathe maybe a few times a week or so (when I remember) and brush my teeth somewhat regularly....I apply to the sorta hippie asthetic of not shaving...or wearing chemical deodorant. I don't mind the way I smell. Human bodies are supposed to...we are animals, after all....I know to attend to things before I get too rank, but I am definitely not a clean freak.

Flakey is worse than me...he will go weeks without bathing....I hardly even notice him ever smelling bad.

I had a really hard time with it when I was a kid too. It took me ages to learn. It just did not come naturally to me at all. It took me a long time to learn to dress myself properly...I was just sorta oblivious.

I'd like to reiterate this statement. I have always had severe problems with cleaning and organization....personal hygiene is part of it...it takes too much effort to follow through with menial tasks..if i give enough attention to one thing, then something else slips through the cracks.

I always thought it was an ADD thing.

I would be neater if I could. It is definitely not a defense mechanism....I wish I had the defense of being able to have more organizational skills.

hygeine is not always lack of care in relation to kanners and aspergers,it's often because the person doesn't have the same care for what other people think of them like NTs do,or have less awareness of people which again,makes the person not experience the same thought of others and what they think,it's not a lack of care as such.

it could also be just too overwhelming to think about...

I brush my teeth every day (mainly because I have uber-nighttime mouth that just feels really crappy when I wake up...)

Showering is a little harder to pull off for time/motivational problems, and because 10 mins after I get out, I smell again... I just put out so much body heat that unless I'm in 40 degree temperatures, I'm sweating...

I think the main problem, however, is that something defined by an NT as "simple" may not be so for someone on the spectrum.

For example:

NT:
-Take a shower

AS:
-Remove clothes
-Turn water on
-Step into shower
-Pick up soap
-Apply soap to body
-Remove soap from body (aka rinse)
-Pick up shampoo bottle
-Apply shampoo to hair
-Remove shampoo from hair
-Turn water off
-Step out of shower
-Apply towel to body and hair to remove any excess water
-Put clothes on

As you can see, interpretations of tasks can make taking a shower seem like a very complex task for something to be completed daily...

I don't think it's so much a true defense mechanism, but more of a "response mechanism". Since aspies are often mistreated or ostracized, the motivation to be clean and presentable declines. In other words, their reasoning states: "why bother spending time on hygiene if people are going to treat me like sh*t regardless." So they end up neglecting to take a shower, brush teeth, etc. For NTs, the opposite reasoning works: "people are generally nice to me, so I don't want to risk offending them by smelling bad."