Why do many people assume odd behavior is attention seeking?

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I have noticed that when I behave in a manner that violates social norms or is merely very unusual I often get accused of attention seeking. The same happens to osme more eccentric friends. Why do so many people assume this? I don't get the connection.

That's a good question and I can't think of an answer. It's one of those cliches you hear tossed about everywhere isn't it? I guess it's a way of dismissing something that would bother them otherwise: "oh, it's just x, y or z." I don't think most people really want to know why someone else is acting strange and come to think of it, I don't either.

I don't know, frankly I find this assumption to be quite annoying. I hear the phrase "oh you're just seeking attention" thrown around so often that it really ticks me off. I don't care if I or someone else is "attention seeking". So, I am eccentric...that fact in itself does not indicate that I want any sort of attention for said weirdness. I don't get the connection either. Sorry, I can't really answer this question. To me, it's just another stupid stereotype that society likes to make about anything that's "different", "abnormal", etc.

I think they are projecting. As if, if they did something like that, it would be attention seeking, therefore, when someone else does it, they assume it's attention seeking.

Or, another possibility... the logic is, if it results in attention, then it must have been attention seeking.

I like attention so much that I lock myself in my room with my music and my computer for days at a time and only come out to check the mail and pay bills.

I like attention so much I won't answer the phone or the doorbell when they ring, unless I'm expecting the call.

I like attention soooo much that when people invite me out, I politely decline, even if it makes someone upset with me.

I enjoy attention so much that I've been accused of being antisocial because I rarely came out of my closed studio at work or attended staff functions that were not explicitly mandatory. In spite of the fact that it was my job to entertain an audience, I did anything I could think of to avoid ever having to see or meet any of that audience in person.


Yet there are those who would claim I don't really have a disorder, that I'm only claiming that to seek attention.





Leave me alone, I'm stimming

I suppose it must be because it often is.

Because of the people that do the whole "I'm randoms and quirkyyy lol!" crap.

Yeah I get that too....

Just think of it this way, they're sheeple hence jealous..

I think people just do not understand - I would probably say the same thing before I understood the add asd stuff.

because that's how NT Attention Hores do it.

I just do my thing, regardless if no one is around or not, just that when no one is around no one sees so no one comments

I hate it when people tell me I'm an attention seeker. When I was in my last year of school, my ''friends'' started being horrible to me by leaving me out, and I was getting so upset. They used to fall out with me for no reason, and because I was always too forgiving and nice, they just used to pick me up and drop me, whenever they wanted. One day, one of the girls said something really nasty to me. I will share it on here because I bet lots of other Aspies here have experienced similar comments said to you before. This girl said this: ''I have made some new friends, and I'm hanging around with them aswell as our friends, so DON'T come anywhere near us otherwise I will be so embarrassed!'' That really upset me, and knocked my self-esteem to rock bottom. I sat in the classroom sobbing my heart out, and all the other kids said, ''you are an attention seeker!''
But I really wasn't seeking attention. I just wanted to be left alone.
Yes, I did want somebody to cuddle me, I suppose.

Joe90, The most cruelty comes from other kids in school. I was done with high school for a long time, and people my age who still act like that are not only considered immature, but they are seen as having serious problems. It really sucks to be in school, but when you get older, fewer people will be mean, and you will be able to deal with it better.

I wish people would stop paying attention to me so that I wouldn't feel like I have to tone down my instinctual behaviour just so that they would feel less uncomfortable. Yeah, I don't get it either.

this needs more specific information: what social norms are you violating?

They assume it because they aren't smart enough to know the difference between attention seeking and eccentric behavior. Most people that would *incorrectly* assume it's attention seeking are probably attention seekers themselves, otherwise they wouldn't make that assumption.