Autism and Inner World

Post Reply New Topic

How would you describe your inner world? Feelings, thoughts and perceptions which are unique to yourself. Everyones inner world is in someway different from another's, however a common pool of thinking (perception) has to be present in order for normal behaviours to exist.

So if every aspie/autie were asked to describe their perception of reality how would the overall outcome (most common overlapping of perception) be described? Would it be altogether different of that of NT's?

Lets try an example. How many aspies would regard themselves as 'different' from other people? Something in the individuals inner world, would convince this person that he/she is somehow unique amongst the greater population of the species. What would that be? A delusion?A sensory impairment?

So would it be right to assume that the inner worlds of aspies/ auties are different from NT's? Something obviously governs the way our inner worlds are created. Maybe aspies/auties inner worlds start out as something peculiar and limited which is unable to change (rigidity) it's perception throughout life. If your inner world starts off as lets say "with a handicap" (having to catch up to a superior way of perception) would you be regarded as having an ASD?

I don't know, it's just a thought.

I would welcome any thoughts on this subject.

I'm not sure what you mean exactly hehe.

but I guess it's impossible to compare ones inner world with others... I mean, I can't really describe mine. I don't think there is any good way to do it. anyway, words are not it.

^
Err, I guess thats why I got only 1 reply.

Ok let me rephrase. Are autistics inner world programmed differently from birth? Another example, the inner world of a schizophrenic will be ruled most probably by paranoia and delusions. Someone with OCD and anxiety will be ruled by doubt.

So wouldn't an autistic have have a 'set' inner world of it's own? As I said before it's just a thought. If auties/aspies do have a different and set inner world to neurotypicals. How would you describe it?

I'm not sure what the inner world would be. I can't really describe myself as I don't fully know how the NT mind works so I can't compare.

Think of your inner world as something which governs your personality. Something which motivates your shyness or talkativeness. I guess I'm speaking on both the conscious and sub conscious level. Sorry folks I've been discussing these issues with my psych over the last few weeks, and given my way of thinking I assumed everyone is meditating over such topics. Maybe thats part of my inner world.

I do aswell. I like having a deep think about myself and my life. But I just haven't really thought about your question. I think I might actually, it's interesting.

I am not entirely sure but I believe NT's define themselves by links. I imagine that their internal definition and world is built upon the links that they have to others and the perceptions and expectations of those around them. It is fairly difficult to describe my inner workings, but visually speaking I would be a solitary light or island. I envision my memories and stored knowledge as a larger library in a dark world where only I exist with a large portal to view a different world. I can sometimes interact with this world and learn from it, but my world is very distinct and closed off from the other one.

Visually speaking I would assume that an NT's mind lacks the clear define between worlds and that rather than order, seperation and a sterile environment, they are more like a tree or some organic plant. By this I mean that while they are somewhat distinct they are much closer to other beings, and that branches and vines overlap, and that overlap is what validates and defines their existence.

I really view myself as more metallic, more self contained, more of an outsider like a machine than an organic orbject where boundaries become intertwined.

Not really sure if that made sense to anyone but me, but that is how I see it.

^
Would it be fair to say that according to your interpretation, an NT mind has a shared connectivity with the next NT mind ? Their perceptions overlap forming a common presentation of their world. Whereas an autistic mind (for whatever reason) is somehow detached from this link and a solitary and thus rigid (given the close confines of isolation) world is created.


I think you make a good point. Maybe aspie/autie perceptions can best be described as singular and hence the common usage of the word egocentric. Ones perception is only as good as the individual concerned. If that individual has a somewhat distorted perception he/she will experience a distorted reality on an individual level.

i dont know exactly what u mean either lol but my inner me is an 8 yr old altogether lol, when im the most mature im as mature as most 12 yr olds now haha. I do a lot of behaviors and social interactions as a 2 yr old, emotionally i can be around an infant to a preteens emotions haha. My more high functioning times i seem to fit right in with the middle school crowd, like a very mature 12/13yr old, my more low functioning i seem to fit right in with the toddler crowd, like a mature 1 yr old lol. I still feel the same way i felt as an 8yr old basically, just my verbal language improved a lot more, i can actually socialize now well not always but can, i can handle a lot more then i did then. Anyways idk if i answered ur question, i hope i did haha, if not lemme know ill edit it again hehe.

Yes, they seem to genuinely require the presence and validation of others. I don't truly understand the need myself. They do not seem to ever be happy being alone or sitting quietly. I believe that NT's in general require social interaction, this is the reason why solitary confinement would be a form of punishment for them. I believe that from a chemical standpoint it has been mentioned that social gatherings and interactions such as talking release specialized "feel good" chemicals in NT's and that people in the autistic range have a different chemical reaction, and in most cases the "feel good" chemicals are either not released at all or in much smaller quantities.

I remember reading this in a scientific article, but I can't remember where. There is a debate about why the hormonal chemical release differs and if it is the cause or the effect. I will look around and see if I can locate a link to it, but I can not guarantee I will find it.

At any rate, I have never known an NT to be perfectly at home in isolation. My understanding is that it creates psychological problems for them, hence NASA testing of prolonged isolation response before sending beings into space.

I should mention that NT's seem to have a very real connection between themselves. We have phenomena like mass hallucination that implies some unkown link between their individual worlds, some type of intertwined connection.

I have never seen a paper on the subject, but I would assume that such phenomena would not affect anyone in the autism spectrum, which would illustrate the separation between our individual worlds and their shared collective world.

I don't really feel like a part of their shared collective world at all.

some NTs can form a strong bond. Most of them can at least 'measure' and 'read' each other with some ease.

interestingly some neurodiverse and whatnot can aruably do the same.

My inner world has always involved a huge escape into daydreaming and fantasy, especially in times of stress.
Sometimes, so much energy goes to my head that I stare and it seems like my whole body freezes.
When I was a kid, even before being diagnosed with Asperger's I could sense that I was different from everyone else. (Because of the bullying and negative feedback I got from people I used to think of myself as a freak.) In high school, before I was diagnosed, I had this fantasy of getting together with a bunch of misfits. Somewhere in my subconscious I must have known that I was autistic, because I had this feeling 'for whatever I have, I must be social'.

That's a tough thing to answer. I do feel it's possible that I view the world in a way more akin to a camera lens. I don't always feel like a true participant in the world or feel like I care enough. The idea that there are 6 billion people on this planet and they could all have some internal similarity to me boggles me. There's just way too many people in existence for any one individual to feel like they are special or important in any way yet all people seem to want to be important. I'm important to me only because I'm the one inside the camera looking out. I recognize it's all relative. Okay, this is probably sounding really incoherent and self-absorbed but I'm trying. Not sure anymore what I'm trying to say. Oh well.

Describing someone’s inner world I think is a bit like describing the culture of another country.

A person leaves external physical clues that are outward expressions of his/her mind’s culture.

I’ve inferred things about how other’s minds work by talking to them and seeing what their living spaces look like.


I’ve found that people’s minds are either mainly:

-Social/people orientated

or

-Task/object orientated



It depends on whether the person attends to people or non-people.
Non people can include animals in some cases.

I’ve also found that there are some people who seem to assign equal importance to people and the physical surroundings (the non-people). They seem to be able to switch their mental focussing powers more easily. I notice that these people do have a kind of "brain handedness": some are slightly more people orientated and some are slightly more object orientated.


Socially orientated people talk about relationships a lot.
Their lives are fuelled by social interactions. They direct most of their attention towards the other person’s needs. They have an outward focus.
They mostly ask:

Who are you going with?
How are you doing?
How are you feeling?
How awful/nice for you?
What do you think about that?
What’s your opinion?

They keep a lot of family and friends photographs on display, but don’t tend to keep many ornaments or puzzles. They keep objects associated with group activities such as a soccer ball or other team sports equipment/clothing.


Task/object orientated people mainly focus on interacting with the physical environment (the non-people). They observe physical processes occurring in the environment. They focus on their own interests and agendas. They have an inward focus. They focus on achieving a particular self motivated objective. They mostly interact with others in order to tell or obtain information or to ask for things.

They mostly ask:

Where is it?
When?
Which animal?
How does it work?
How much?
Where are we going?
Why are we going?
What will I need to take with me?
This is what I need to do…
That’s a…
Is that method practical?

These people’s houses are full of puzzles, nic-knacks and objects “for objects sake”.
These people have a lot of specialist stuff and books. Also more IT equipment.



For socially orientated people, relationships are the main focus of their lives.
For them, their minds see people in the foreground and the physical environment in the background.

I seem to be more of a task/object oriented person.
My mind sees the physical environment in the foreground and people in the background. My priority queue seems to be the “other way round”.


Socially orientated people can be good at observing the physical environment, but they tend to need other people’s support or approval to do this. Some of them seem to feel very uncomfortable when asked to work alone.

Likewise, I seem to be able interact with other people better if our interactions are focussed on a task or object. This could be a game or a common interest requiring equipment. I notice that I seem to be more comfortable if I am focussed on the object and our interactions seem to reflect from that object like a mirror: for example a cooperative video game. Instances where there are clear rules and expectations. Task and object people can care a lot about others also, but not in such an overt way.

Both internal “cultures” seem to compliment and be the reverse of each other.
They're different frames of reference or perceptions.

Wow I really wish I could describe mine in detail, it would be close to impossible though. Generally, I don't feel like mine is "set"; I'm not diagnosed though so who knows where I really stand. Whatever it is, it's overwhelming. Maybe it is "set", as you put it, but it's so expansive that only so much of it can be accessed at a given time, so there are a near-infinite combination of possible frameworks that it can set itself into. Probably this would be based on a combination of internal and external factors, and deep subconscious wheels turning that I can't possibly control or understand.

Like I said, I'm not diagnosed (although I have been told by my therapist there's a very good chance I have AS, I haven't gone through the actual diagnostic procedures), and so for me there is a lot of confusion and indecision on the whole matter. Some days I feel like there's no way I'm on the spectrum. Some days I feel like it's a sure thing and I wonder how it wasn't caught earlier. Some days (like today) I get sensory overload so bad I feel physically sick and exhausted and end up falling asleep for hours as a result, even though most of the time I deal with this stuff just fine. Of course this barely scratches the surface.

Some days I'm a rock star. Some days I'm a genius. Some days I'm an alcoholic. Some days I'm a therapist. Some days I'm a social butterfly. Some days I'm destined to fail. Some days the future is so exciting and there's so much to do and plan for and I don't know where to begin. Again, this barely scratches the surface. The only "constant" is that it seems to go pretty consistently in cycles that are defined by particular days, like the "framework" is somehow rearranged while I sleep. My use of the "phrase "some days" is not arbitrary, and this is a large part of the reason I lean toward the concept of ever-changing combination frameworks of the same mental entity (that I touched on earlier in the post).

Also I think there's not necessarily a marked "break" between where the autistic mind ends and the neurotypical one begins. The most significant difference/generalization that I can conceive of and actually see is that we think (apparently extensively) about stuff like this, while typically the "neurotypical"mind will not. But I have, in rare cases, seen exceptions to this as well.