Another enjoyable read, this one was a memoir written by John Elder Robison a person with asperger's syndrome, a special form of autism that impairs the ability to interact with others normally
The book takes the reader through the life the author led as he dealt with this syndrome that, until he was fully grown for some time, nobody knew existed.
Living with an undiagnosed mental illness was difficult for the author, nobody else understood him, and he didn't really understand other people either, such was the nature of his affliction. Unlike many cases of people with asperger's syndrome, the author actively tried to fit in and develop relationships with others. These attempts were, more often than not, complete failures, but at least the attempts were there.
Despite the author's lack of social skill, which was improving, even if it wasn't on par with normal society, the author became quite famous. He had discovered in his youth that he had a savant-like ability to manipulate machines, especially where electronics were concerned. This talent was originally directed towards pranks and other childish fancies (that I found incredibly funny and ingenious, despite their childish nature ). However, as the author grew up his talents were dedicated to refining, creating, and repairing sound systems. His skill at creating these systems made his services very desirable in the music industry, eventually landing him a job with KISS, a band that was a worldwide sensation. The author was the designer of most of KISS's most memorable special effects (the burning guitar, for example).
However the author drifted away from the music industry and moved to being a designer of electronic toys, where he excelled once again. He rose through the ranks of the company he worked for, but then quit because working as an administrator didn't satisfy his creative urges, despite the good pay (I reference the concepts presented in Drive here, as this is a prime example)
His final profession was repairing high-end cars, he started his own business and did very well. His social skills had developed to the point that even though he wasn't exactly normal, he didn't stand out so much as a social misfit any longer.
The author reflected on his affliction after it became diagnosed for the first time. He speculates that aspergians ( the name he gives to people with asperger's) fall into a scale. There are people like him towards one end who struggle socially because their focus is more inward, but can still manage to cope in society, and these people are the ones who become savants. On the other end are those who become completely absorbed in their own world and never learn to socialize (the stereotypical aspergian).
This analysis stood out to me, as a person who frequently encounters difficulty in socializing, I am forced to consider if perhaps I fall on the aspergian scale towards the more outgoing end. I don't consider myself a savant, so I must be even further towards the right side of this scale than the author, but I can easily see myself on the scale. I have always had a hard time interacting with my peers, and I often prefer solitude over company. I have little control over my facial expressions, another symptom of asperger's, and I can't seem to fit in with the rest of society as easily as other people. Popular fads fly way over my head and are outdated long before I catch on, local slang terms baffle me, and I generally feel awkward in any social situation, even among friends and family sometimes.
Therefore if I were ever diagnosed with asperger's I would not be shocked in the least. However, I don't think that I am incapable of ever overcoming this, I have made many friends, and I continue to learn how to overcome my difficulties in interacting with others. Actually I do not believe that the realization that this condition might apply to me changes anything, whether or not I have aspergian characteristics doesn't change the fact that I am working to learn how to cope with them, and it certainly doesn't help or hinder me from doing so. It is ironic that I would make this observation that I may have a condition after I noticed and began to solve the symptoms, whereas most people operate in reverse.
This book provided an interesting topic to reflect on, and I am happy to have read it even if the reflection doesn't significantly alter my life.
When you realize you can relate to the asperger symptoms in this book, does it make you curious to learn more about the disorder? Perhaps there is literature that could help you with those symptoms irregardless of whether or not you technically fit into the scale.If there was research that dealt with your symptoms would you not be interested? Pop often complains that psychology is the study that gives a name to what's wrong with people instead of a study that helps heal what's wrong. There is a giant manual of disorders that labels people's disorders but there is not a concurrent manual that tells you what to do about it. For the most part I agree that more time needs to be devoted to coping than to labeling so I'm glad to hear that the coping, not labeling is most important. Do you think that you will be able to overcome your difficulties because you only have symptoms of Aspegers, not the disorder of Aspergers? DO you think that it is possible for people to overcome their disorders? Do you feel the author overcame his disorder?
ReplyDeleteConsidering your most favorite genres are sci-fi/fantasy, and you've never had interest in reading outside of that. Are you surprised that you are enjoying these biographies? Do you think the books are that good or do you think you are interested in people's lives more than you might have suspected? Do you think you are interested in reading about people's lives because interacting with people is so difficult for you? Do you learn more about social cues from this series of books? Does each of them give you insight into your own behaviors?Do you think you would have read any of these books as free-reading books?
ReplyDeleteWell you certainly gave me a lot to respond to this time.
ReplyDeleteNow that I realize I might have the disorder I do not feel an urge to learn more about it. Knowing what causes the disorder or whatever else I would learn about it doesn't help me deal with it.
I do think I will be able to learn to cope with my symptoms, but I will never "overcome" them. The fact is that asperger's is a thing that never goes away. I might learn how to socialize despite it, but it won't change the fact that learning how to do so will always be more difficult for me than for others. Therefore, I will never "overcome" it, but I will learn to deal with it effectively, and I think that is a key difference.
On the topic of psychology not "healing" asperger's. I would not want a standard cure even if they came up with one. My life so far with asperger's has shaped my personality into how it is today. If some psychologist gave me a cure when I was younger I wouldn't be who I am now, I would have followed the same path as every other "normal" person and wound up being a flunking delinquent teenager like the rest of them. My disorder makes me an outcast from the norm, but that's not necessarily a bad thing, I can care for myself, and I can do so better than most "normal" people.
Psychology lets us know what is wrong with us, the healing is provided by the ways we find to deal with it on our own, and the journey of learning to deal with it makes us who we are. Sometimes we turn out better and sometimes we turn out worse than normal, but the uniqueness of each person is one of the most defining qualities of being human. So when you complain that psychology doesn't teach us how to solve all these conditions that make us different you complain that it isn't solving the things that make us special.
Moving past that, now to talk about the books. Yes I am surprised I am enjoying these books, but only slightly. In sci-fi and fantasy books, I've always looked for characters having deeper internal conflict or moral debates. It makes them seem more real, and I've always thought that books with characters like that are in their own league of excellence, other books are good, but these books are the ones I recommend to other people.
So these books that are all about the author's internal conflict and moral debates are essentially all about the quality I value most in the books of my choice. Therefore, the fact that I'm winding up enjoying them isn't that preposterous.
I do think I enjoy these books partially because interacting with others is hard for me, seeing other people go through the same or similar things as me is comforting. It lets me know that whatever troubles I suffer through, I'm not alone in them, and there is another quality of humans, the fear of being truly alone, some of us may prefer solitude over the company of others (like myself), but I don't think anybody could survive being utterly alone for our whole lives.
I don't think I would have ever picked these books up as my choice for a free-reading book, but after reading these I'm a little more open to reading them based on recommendation. Sci-fi and fantasy novels are still going to be my thing though.