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Leaders on the Spectrum in the Public Sector?

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BetwixtBetween
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05 Mar 2015, 7:11 pm

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On the other hand sociopaths who actually are incapable of empathy, are very much over-represeneted amongst politicians.


I feel like that's true, but I don't know of any sociopaths who are out. Probably because they wouldn't win elections if they were out.



PlainsAspie
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06 Mar 2015, 10:51 pm

Simon Baron-Cohen says that autistics are lacking in cognitive empathy, not affective empathy. The former meaning knowing how people feel, the latter meaning feeling how others feel. I'd think a stereotypical politician would be the opposite. Knowing how others feel is important for getting their votes. That's not to say it's impossible for autistics to win elections.



Protogenoi
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06 Mar 2015, 11:28 pm

PlainsAspie wrote:
Simon Baron-Cohen says that autistics are lacking in cognitive empathy, not affective empathy. The former meaning knowing how people feel, the latter meaning feeling how others feel. I'd think a stereotypical politician would be the opposite. Knowing how others feel is important for getting their votes. That's not to say it's impossible for autistics to win elections.


I'd agree.
I'd add that affective empathy is actually rather rare. Neurotypicals have been found to only use affective empathy about 1/3 of the time as an average. fMRI Studies have shown that affective empathy tends to be more common between those with great similarities. Foreign nationality, disablities, different social classes, and other cultural difference tend to cause a person to receive less affective empathy.

Psychopaths are very good at cognitive empathy, but incapable to practice affective empathy (except under a few experimental clinical settings at varying rates of success as demonstrated by fMRI... perhaps they'll be able to find a treatment method.)


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07 Mar 2015, 9:33 pm

Tim Fischer, if running Tourism Australia and being the Ambassador to the Vatican count as public sector. He also lead the National party, and was the Deputy Prime Minister from 1996-1999. This means that whenever John Howard was overseas, Australia had an autistic PM!

This interview says that he started looking into autism after his son was diagnosed. None of my research says that Fischer has a diagnosis, but I don't think he'd actually need one. Wikipedia describes him as being one of Australia's biggest railfans, and that he studied rail gauges as a kid.



themanfromuranus
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07 Mar 2015, 9:51 pm

Fnord wrote:
vermontsavant wrote:
thomas Jefferson and Losif Dzyghashvilli A.K.A (Josef Stalin)
Evidence, please?

Both of these men died before any official diagnosis of AS could be made.

true, only an expert can give a diagnosis



AspieAdmirer
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23 Apr 2015, 3:23 am

Protogenoi wrote:
PlainsAspie wrote:
Simon Baron-Cohen says that autistics are lacking in cognitive empathy, not affective empathy. The former meaning knowing how people feel, the latter meaning feeling how others feel. I'd think a stereotypical politician would be the opposite. Knowing how others feel is important for getting their votes. That's not to say it's impossible for autistics to win elections.


I'd agree.
I'd add that affective empathy is actually rather rare. Neurotypicals have been found to only use affective empathy about 1/3 of the time as an average. fMRI Studies have shown that affective empathy tends to be more common between those with great similarities. Foreign nationality, disablities, different social classes, and other cultural difference tend to cause a person to receive less affective empathy.

Psychopaths are very good at cognitive empathy, but incapable to practice affective empathy (except under a few experimental clinical settings at varying rates of success as demonstrated by fMRI... perhaps they'll be able to find a treatment method.)


Fascinating. I would like to read more about that. I wonder if sociopaths are the same?



ASPickle
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23 Apr 2015, 11:55 am

AspieUtah wrote:
If it counts, I served as the Salt Lake County Office of the Clerk public information officer (1994-1995), a Salt Lake County Human Services Advisory Council Social Services Block Grant allocation-panel member (1994-1995), a U.S. Office of the Attorney for the District of Utah hate-crimes adviser (1997-2001), a Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund Inc. PAC board of directors member (1997-1998), etc.

But, don't go by me. People have told me that I am neither notable nor diagnosed. :wink:


You were the first person I thought of when I read the OP.


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AspieUtah
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23 Apr 2015, 12:12 pm

ASPickle wrote:
AspieUtah wrote:
If it counts, I served as the Salt Lake County Office of the Clerk public information officer (1994-1995), a Salt Lake County Human Services Advisory Council Social Services Block Grant allocation-panel member (1994-1995), a U.S. Office of the Attorney for the District of Utah hate-crimes adviser (1997-2001), a Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund Inc. PAC board of directors member (1997-1998), etc.

But, don't go by me. People have told me that I am neither notable nor diagnosed. :wink:


You were the first person I thought of when I read the OP.

Thank you.


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N0tYetDeadFred
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24 Jul 2015, 12:26 pm

PlainsAspie wrote:
Is Freddie Odom diagnosed?


Yes, I am. ;)

And I agree with the reasons that people have listed for why people don't do the public sector as often (I was unopposed when I first ran.) I posted to WP about it, but actually got very little support at the time (just one positive comment.) I think we're used to public officials being sociopaths/our natural enemies.



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24 Jul 2015, 1:09 pm

N0tYetDeadFred wrote:
PlainsAspie wrote:
Is Freddie Odom diagnosed?


Yes, I am. ;)



Good for you and your diverse career


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N0tYetDeadFred
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24 Jul 2015, 3:17 pm

[/quote]

Good for you and your diverse career[/quote]

Thanks. Not easy, but I can't take all of the credit, either.