Detachment from Real People

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I noticed recently that there was a thread somebody posted a while ago mentioning that fictional characters make them more emotional than family, friends and colleagues in real life (http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt202119.html). I raise this up because this is exactly the problem that I've faced for some time now and it has bothered me tremendously.

Throughout my entire lifespan I've made friends just fine despite having Aspergers. I almost considered myself one of the 'lucky ones' that managed to just scrape through, even though I'm not as heavily afflicted with Aspergers as I know other people are. However there was one major problem that I overlooked until I started getting into one particular TV Show that made the issue much clearer. I was unable to develop any closeness with my family and friends despite being around those that genuinely cared about me.

It took me ages to notice that I've struggled to develop any close attachment with my peers and my loved ones throughout my life when I noticed that I developed attachments to a number of fictional characters. So far the one that has affected me the most is My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (though that one is obvious). There have been other characters that I've been attached to that are from anime, though I've found that I form bonds with characters from TV Shows than from movies or stories for some reason.

I've been trying to connect to others on a deeper level for quite some time but I'm not making any progress. At the moment I'm convinced that it is emotional detachment that is setting me back, alongside the fact that I dissociate frequently on a daily basis. I'm not sure what else I can do to solve this issue other than to seek a counselor or look for medical treatment. Does anybody have suggestions?

The way I understand it in myself is that a character is a one way relationship. You get to know them. There is no pressure on you to be known by them. No chance of being misunderstood or judged.

As I said in another thread there seems to be a wall between me and other people. But a character exists on a different plane entirely. The wall becomes irrelevant.

Right, that wall I described as a battleground between software sets or algorithms. If you do not host the current hive-mind software, then said software will constantly probe and attack you, triggering your own software or simulation to become defensive.

Pets or fictional characters do not host this software at all.

Yes. The cultural immune system that "protects" people from new ways of being; the group-think that quiets "crazy" ideas, to stop them from spreading and potentially destroying the good, established cultural norms -- norms that might be in direct conflict with the new ,"crazy" ideas and behaviors.

A cultural immune system isn't a bad thing; it can (for example) keep sociopaths out of power -- if it's healthy. A cultural immune system is important, BUT: I think we humans need a software upgrade; we seem to have an auto-immune disorder that needs attention.

Back on topic: I grew up feeling connections only with fictional characters of my own creation, inside my own mind; imaginary friends in an imaginary world. I'm learning to connect now, in my late 20s, but connection seems to require me to be in a very good headspace, which (for me) means in a very good environment. This is very limiting...

I can definitely relate, I am also the same way with pets. I have always been the type who will cry when a dog or cat dies, but won't cry when a relative dies. I like to use My Little Pony as a sexual outlet, so that I do not feel inferior to other guys for fantasizing about what they have. Neurotypical humans are unpredictable to me, so it is hard to develop any sort of emotional bond, I think neurotypicals probably feel the same way about animals. I've learned that since you can't control what other humans do or think, it is best to live as if they are not there.

I can definitely relate, I am also the same way with pets. I have always been the type who will cry when a dog or cat dies, but won't cry when a relative dies. I like to use My Little Pony as a sexual outlet, so that I do not feel inferior to other guys for fantasizing about what they have. Neurotypical humans are unpredictable to me, so it is hard to develop any sort of emotional bond, I think neurotypicals probably feel the same way about animals. I've learned that since you can't control what other humans do or think, it is best to live as if they are not there.