Idea of reference

[Oz67]

I notice that I have idea of reference, when I focus too much on my restricted interests, I make connections that aren't there.

 

[Crabcore]

I know a lot of people who do similar things -- provided you're aware that the connections are likely fabricated by your pattern-seeking brain, they're probably considerably normal. Obviously if you have concerns beyond that, professionals can help.

I personally love entertaining them, talking with others about the phenomenon, etc. But as usual, the conversations usually just gravitate toward, "Yep, who even knows the true nature of reality anyway?". I think so long as you have a considerably balanced perspective about them, those connections can definitely be fun to think about!

Simulation theory can apply here, too.

 

[Oz67]

I know a lot of people who do similar things -- provided you're aware that the connections are likely fabricated by your pattern-seeking brain, they're probably considerably normal. Obviously if you have concerns beyond that, professionals can help.

I personally love entertaining them, talking with others about the phenomenon, etc. But as usual, the conversations usually just gravitate toward, "Yep, who even knows the true nature of reality anyway?". I think so long as you have a considerably balanced perspective about them, those connections can definitely be fun to think about!

Simulation theory can apply here, too.

I feel worried, because my restricted interests aren't exactly healthy. I wish I had a better way to explain it.

For a long time, I was thought that restricted interests and repetitive behaviors, diagnostic criteria B for Autism Spectrum Disorder is not healthy.

 

[Crabcore]

These types of things can definitely be subject to interpretation, too. While we do have tools like the DSM (at least here in the US, although I don't know how that works in other countries) it's pretty hard to find a textbook definition of maladaptive behaviors in the context of ASD, especially if there's really no reason for you to correct them (such as: no harm is being done to yourself, others, etc).

Of course I have to asterisk any discussion like this with "Ask a professional first" (because that's always a good idea), but I'm sure a lot of us have repetitive, maladaptive behavior (not to mention varying degrees of restrictive interests) in conjunction with our ASD, and that's probably pretty hard to eliminate entirely.

 

[Oz67]

These types of things can definitely be subject to interpretation, too. While we do have tools like the DSM (at least here in the US, although I don't know how that works in other countries) it's pretty hard to find a textbook definition of maladaptive behaviors in the context of ASD, especially if there's really no reason for you to correct them (such as: no harm is being done to yourself, others, etc).

Of course I have to asterisk any discussion like this with "Ask a professional first" (because that's always a good idea), but I'm sure a lot of us have repetitive, maladaptive behavior (not to mention varying degrees of restrictive interests) in conjunction with our ASD, and that's probably pretty hard to eliminate entirely.

It does make sense that it's not possible to eliminate all the symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder, because it's a neurodevelopmental disorder.

 

[Au Naturel]

Imagining patterns in the noise is a human specialty. It is known as Pareidolia. Healthy skepticism ought to neutralize false positives in pattern perception, but people are rarely skeptical of what they think they see.

Pareidolia (/ˌpærɪˈdoʊliə, ˌpɛər-/;[1] also US: /ˌpɛəraɪ-/)[2] is the tendency for perception to impose a meaningful interpretation on a nebulous stimulus, usually visual, so that one sees an object, pattern, or meaning where there is none. It is a type of apophenia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareidolia