The Art of Abstract Thinking...

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After much reading and being informed on this from my psychologist, it is clear that abstract thinking is almost beyond most AS people. Currently, I'm undertaking an arts degree, and one of the units to complete is an art theory/philosophy one.

Has anyone here managed to develop the Art of Abstract Thinking?

Can anyone here offer advice? Have you conquered the 'Black & White' wall?


Please share...

<--- As concrete a thinker as they come.

I totally disagree with this I think Aspies are the best potential abstract thinkers. I don't understand where this notion to the contrary comes from.

But how does one get to this potential of the abstract?

G'day, Woody. Out of curiosity, what made you undertake an Arts degree? Is there a component of it that worries you, in terms of "abstract thinking"?

Part of my diagnosis for Aspergers was a tendency to address problems in very black-and-white terms ("concrete thinking"). I think many people have this tendency to some degree, but apparently my rather stark way of problem solving is consistent with that seen in people with Aspergers.

That said, I'm also capable of some extremely creative and abstract thinking – usually when I'm more relaxed (almost always when I'm by myself) and in a pondering mood. I'm also good with both dry wit and ironic humour. Just remember, every person with Aspergers is different.

There are any number of ways to explore abstract thinking. Music is a simple example: sometimes you feel sad or happy when you listen to a song, but seldom does the song explicitly tell you how you should be feeling about it! Emotions emerge of their own achord, and you can explore ways of identifying what types of music make you (or even others) feel or think in certain ways. (BTW, if you can understand the purpose of the spelling mistake above, then you can consider yourself at least "capable" of abstract thought.) With perseverance and application, you can enlighten others with the insights you've gleaned.

If you have no interest in thinking abstractly, then that's perfectly fine. But if you are interested, you can explore different ways with your psychologist and with others (including us Aspies ). Don't be disheartened (or surprised) if it's a slow learning process, though.

Apparently failing to recognize an idiom = lack of abstract thinking. I have no problems with abstract thinking, and studies based on Raven Matrices also suggest such.

Think of the first thing then the second but combine the 2 making the 3rd and observe various imagery and attempt t o study other topics. It's good to cross reference areas for analysis. Flip to one then flop to the other. Not necessarily in that order but along those sentences.

Thanks for all the insights all.

Primarily, my essay writing style for art theory subjects sucks badly. Due to 'over generalisation' and 'literal' undertakings in explaining an essay question as my tutors have told me.

I have hard time with concrete world. The way I joke is I think multiple meanings and apply some fussy concrete stuff to it in order to make people laugh ie. creating a fussy scenario. Easy way to make people laugh. They picture the scenario as something real and not symbolic and they see it as very random way to describe it.

As around 5 year old I thought about meaning of life. I actually declined others children company because it felt so meaningless compared to my thinking. It was so utterly bore some. I felt being being a mortal a long time before it occurs to normal people. Real life didn't have much appeal to me.

Most people abstract their world through senses. I don't much I'm all about being abstract and then sensing my as well as I can. I had problems with languages in school. The textbook described real life and I didn't like it at all. It wasn't theoretical... I liked fantasy though. That kind of stuff was interesting to me.

Modern developmental psychology (as well anything from Freud) thinks people are very much the same. This is not true all the time. When we start to apply same non universal theory to everybody it creates lots of misunderstandings. We are supposed to abstract our world through vicarious sensing experiences. If we don't therefore we can not think abstractly because the order is wrong. Psychologist and psychiatrist should have logical thinking 101 course (with truth tables) done before they could begin to practice anything remotely scientific.

I have little problem with abstract thinking. I believe being as aspie certainly fosters concrete thinking to a degree. But, besides being an aspie or not, we all have our own neurological makeup and personality that will give it's own preferential style of thinking. For you, the ability to think abstractly likely doesn't come naturally, and will take you out of your comfort zone. It can be developed, but it will be like doing things left-handed when your preference would be right-handedness.

I would highly disagree with the notion that abstract thinking is beyond most AS people. Abstract thinking, in the sense by hitch I am referring, is matter of intellectual development, available to anyone to achieve.
Furthermore, in my experience most of the nuerotypical people interact with seem to have difficulty with abstract thinking. With me I am a very abstract thinker, in the sense of being able to use abstract thinking, imagine things, consider the existence of things beyond sensory experience, to consider possibilities, to recognize the difference between conception and truth, an so on.
Now as to he black and white matter: if by black and white you mean seeing things in a merely literal experiential then yes. If by black and white you mean seeing the world as a reality that is essentially rational, with sharp distinctions, and based in he essential, universal, and absolute, then no. That is how the world is at heart and how it can be known at a high level of abstract thinking. The kind of grey thinking that calls for the rejection of rationality and self imposed moral and intellectual impotence, is more suited to those who have not ascended to abstract reason.

Let me guess. This sh!t about aspies not being able to abstract think came from the fact that Temple Grandin can't do algebra. Because algebra requires a person to abstract think. RIGHT?

I've read several places that Albert Einstein probably was an Aspie, and he based his work very much on abstract thinking until he sorted them out mathematically(if I have not misunderstood these readings, or the concept of abstract thinking).
Anyhow I believe it is right that many Aspies do indeed have an issue with abstract thinking, but not of course everyone.
I also think that many aspies have the ability to think more abstract related to their field of interest, if deemed necessary.

Definition:
"Thinking characterized by the ability to use concepts and to make and understand generalizations, such as of the properties or pattern shared by a variety of specific items or events." (correct me if this is considered a vague definition)

By this definition , I do believe that many Aspies who think in structures, and who are good at using associative functions should be perfectly well suited for abstract thought. It seems natural.

I've heard of ONE autistic child who couldnt think abstractly. Even money was/is too abstract a concept for him.

Every other ASD person Ive ever heard of was overly involved in abstract thinking (except for the OP apparently).

If you haven't already done so, you could try reading some of the better-known philosophers. For example, you could dip into Aristotle and Plato, some Epictetus, and then move on to Rousseau, Voltaire, Kant, Kierkegaard, Schopenhauer and Nietzsche. These are masters of abstract thinking. Nietzsche in particular is enthralling, and often very funny. There's no need to read whole books, just select key chapters or passages and study how they reason.

Aspies are just as able to grasp abstract thought as NTs.

If autistic people and Asperger people struggle with abstract thinking then how are so many of them proficient in math and physics?