autism seems like weak Fe

[nanashi]

More Than A Feeling - Science News

I read (somewhere) that mothers who bring their kid in to get tested often have a T kid on their hands and are ESFJ themselves.


There may be a connection. Maybe not.

[Skeptic]

I disagree. The study showed that when kids focused on interpreting emotions in other people they could not, which worked into music and blablabla unimportant part. However, given a Te type, I'm sure if they focused on recognizing emotional states they could and in fact do when they feel the need to work up on their Fe. This is because they have Fe, but it is just undervalued and they naturally are inclined to not pay attention to it in favor of Te.

In short; someone like an autistic who is physically incapable of interpreting emotions is not comparable to someone who intentionally does not focus on interpreting emotions. Interesting thought though

[Creepy-cinq]

This is similar to ADD and Intuition, or, Aspergers or OCD and Ti. It's tempting to say there is a connection. However, closer examination of symptoms reveals there is no or scant evidence of a direct link - just some similarities IMO. But, I can see how a parent would be concerned about a child's behaviour if it does not fall within the expected norm. I'm sure it happens on occasion. I know I've spent a good deal of time trying to understand why I don't fall within female norms. It doesn't help when I sit immobile thinking about something, looking distant and zoned out. lol.

[silverchris9]

Well... personally, I think there's a viable theory wherein a basic understanding of each of the IMs is fundamentally necessary to life, and that something like autism could be understood, from a socionics POV, as an inability to develop the most basic understanding of Fe, comparable to the inability to feel pain as the inability to develop a certain basic understanding of Si or something. But the comparison to pain is a good one, because the socionics is only one perspective or one interpretation of an underlying physiological issue. Now, the relationship between the physiology, the psychology, and the socionics is hella complex and impossible to understand completely but I imagine there's some sort of series of causal relations wherein brain chemistry influence what we think of as socionics and vice versa. So basically, what I'm saying is that socionics as a conceptual system could in theory be applied to certain neurological differences, but that the neurological differences are the original thing and that the socionics comes after. So yeah, that's the thought.

[Satan]

I disagree. The study showed that when kids focused on interpreting emotions in other people they could not, which worked into music and blablabla unimportant part. However, given a Te type, I'm sure if they focused on recognizing emotional states they could and in fact do when they feel the need to work up on their Fe. This is because they have Fe, but it is just undervalued and they naturally are inclined to not pay attention to it in favor of Te.

In short; someone like an autistic who is physically incapable of interpreting emotions is not comparable to someone who intentionally does not focus on interpreting emotions. Interesting thought though

I think you have to take into consideration emotional range too.

Like I did that test recognising emotions thing, naming the emotion. And I was distorted in some areas. Although from memory it was mostly to do with emotions that feel "wrong" to me. I don't know things like "grief" could seem like "hostility" or something to me. It's like I have a kind of "negative" lumping together thing. FWIW I did much better on interpreting the flirtatious ones though ...

[Wynch]

I can see how some parents might mistake a functional difference or socionic issue with a mental disorder of somekind, but I really don't think that the mental disorder is actually something diagnosed based on functional differences.

There are probably instances where the connection can be made and enhances the issue, but I don't think you can make any kind of generalization from there.

For example, I'm of the opinion that my half-brother is autistic (though he's diagnosed with and being treated for ADHD). My dad and step-mom recently went to a school meeting for parents of kids with learning disabilities where another parent suggested they go talk to the people at the autism booth. They came home and talked to me all about how they were beginning to think that might be the issue at hand. Both of them are logicals and their issues revolve around difficulties communicating with him.

[Creepy-Pied Piper]

Removed at User Request