Weak Central Coherence & integration

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Just curious how Weak Central Coherence affects you with regard to integrating memories and experiences. Be they trauma related or otherwise.

When I was diagnosed with HFA 16 years ago I could immediately relate to having executive function difficulties, planning, organising and prioritising. However, seeing how my information processing difference impacted my ability to see the wood for the trees was not so straightforward. In fact I always prided myself for being a big picture mystical contemplative kind of person, which I am. But recent events have me seeing actually how weak my Central Coherence actually is.

Also, I have heard that people with High Functioning Autism often have a very fluid sense of self and was curious if this is due to Weak Central Coherence. In other words, our concept of self is fragmented rather than a coherent whole. I'm not sure I feel this way myself.

I have difficulty getting a sense of what you are asking. There are different ways to consider oneself. One can inventory abilities such as strengths and weaknesses, one can inventory preferences and inclinations, one can inventory experiences, and one can consider ones past, present, and even potential future ambitions.

I can see an intrinsic degree of fluidity but rather small as big or rapid changes can be unsettling.

By "coherence" do you mean a resistance to change? By "central" do you mean a core sense of identity.

Thank you Timf.

My interest is in how people in the autism spectrum experience Weak Central Coherence.

I have a special interest in identity and how whether our information processing difference
(Weak Central Coherence) affects not just how we derive meaning, but also our sence of self and identity. For example, if one can't see the wood for the trees, whxh is often quoted with respect to WCC, then would this fragmented and impaired way of perceiving contribute towards the way we see ourself? And for that matter... others?

maybe as in old talk , grounding, for being not in the head but in the body,
when young i got told i was too much in the head, true and appearing /being clumsy, but most things get better with practice
or, comparable with dissociation, not having much center - weak self center,
that's eg getting totally off the track when interference occurs



personnally i can't find the place where nt's magically can do everything,
its a wild mis information topic to me like a misplaced light

then in the //weak central coherence theory (WCC) style it is ;
specific perceptual-cognitive style, loosely described as a limited ability to understand context or to "see the big picture",
that's an expected outcome when as always the worser autism get prioritised

as if nts are those bright multitasking openminded wonders of evolution,
not these herd creatures who rather cling to trendy herd-words then their own senses,
they sacrifice their own memories to the gooddoer trend of the day
(isn't that a weak central coherance in other pov)



loosely described as a limited ability to understand context Recent researchers have found the results difficult to reproduce in experimental conditions and autistic researchers have criticised the overall base assumptions as contradictory and biased.


-- story of lantern

A man was walking home late one night when he saw Mullah Nasruddin on his and knees, searching under a street light for something on the ground.

“Mullah, what have you lost?” he asked.

“The key to my house,” Nasruddin said.

“I’ll help you look,” the man said.

Soon, both men were down on their knees, looking for the key.

After some time, the man asked: “Where exactly did you drop it?”

Nasruddin waved his arm back towards the darkness. “Over there, in my house.”

The man jumped up. “Then why are you looking for it here?”

“Because there is more light here than inside my house.”
Source: Tales of Nasruddin Hoca

Thank you Traven, very wise lantern story. Heard Ram Dass saying this many times. Very good.

I know much has been written on the subject of how masking can have a profound affect on personality and identity... for obvious reasons. However, just curious how WCC might also influence identity and sence of self with people in the autism spectrum.

For example, I know many in the spectrum who had very healthy parents and happy schooling. In other words, no serious psychological scaring resulting from having to mask and yet still very unsure about self image and identity.

Does the WCC hypothesis have much to actually support it?

I am sceptical as regards this theory as I am most that have been written by neurotypical 'experts' in Autism.

Monotropism makes far more sense to me - a theory created by actually Autistic people.

I feel passionately that all theories on autism are just that... theories

Monotropism or WCC I'm still primarily interested in our information processing difference and how this could influence sence of self and identity.

Perhaps this is a good example of Monotropism or WCC that someone posts a thread on something and others get taken away by the details at the expense of the bigger picture... personal views, opinions and likes / dislikes... absolutely no offence meant, just trying to state my point as cumbersomly as ever

I too think that this is another attempt by neurotypical researchers to understand and explain autistic people in neurotypical terms.

Hyperfocus and attention to detail, on the one hand, and understanding the picture, on the other hand, are not mutually exclusive. Let's not buy into theories which only have the effect of making us look infantile or less than whole.