Personality vs. Traits

[typeone]

I am very very new to the autism and Asperger world. I was wondering how to differentiate between possible traits of autism and Asperger's and quirky personality traits. Is there a difference or is Asperger's apart of my personality?

 

[AspieWatchmaker]

I am very very new to the autism and Asperger world. I was wondering how to differentiate between possible traits of autism and Asperger's and quirky personality traits. Is there a difference or is Asperger's apart of my personality?

My understanding is that diagnosis of Aspergers/ASD has more to do with developemental history and challanges than personality. People with the condition will tend to have similar personality traits because they face similar issues, but that is still 100% their own personality.

 

[SameStars]

Neurotypical persons can have traits like Asperger's too, but in persons with Asperger's the combinations of different traits causes social problems and are hindering interactions enough for it to be a problem.

 

[Voxsh]

It's about a life long combination of traits usually most clearly seen in social interactions

 

[Crossbreed]

Neuro-diverse qualities impact our senses and perception. Our shared quality is a lack of social instinct, that is, we do not readily perceive society's unwritten rules.

Our personality traits, OTOH, determine how we would react once we recognize that impairment.

• SKEPTICS get depressed and abandon all hope of improvement.
• PESSIMISTS get anxious about the fickle mores of NT society and are always on edge.
  
• CYNICS get angry at the perceived injustice of the NT-centric system and will devote their lives to railing against it, and
• OPTIMISTS will formulate coping strategies and build bridges, where possible.
• (There are probably other responses, but these are the ones that spring to mind.)

----------------​

The optimist says, "The cup is half full..."
The pessimist says, "The cup is half empty..."
The engineer says, "There is twice as much cup as there needs to be."

 

[The Midge]

I am very very new to the autism and Asperger world. I was wondering how to differentiate between possible traits of autism and Asperger's and quirky personality traits. Is there a difference or is Asperger's apart of my personality?

I think we are our autism. It is a fundamental pat of who we are.

So where does an autistic trait end and our personality begin? It is impossible to say. We are mind, body and spirit. Our soul is a combination of the three parts. So our physical make up shapes our personality and I wouldn't be surprised if our choices and habits feedback and shape our physical makeup (our neuro-wiring) too.

 

[1111Alice7447]

This question is pretty interesting to me. I have been diagnosed as Aspergers (and ADD-Innattentive subtype). But sometimes I this I am better characterise by my personality (INFJ) + C-PTSD

INFJs are introverted-intruitive-feeling-judgers. This personality type includes a lot of Aspergers features: sensory sensitivity, rich inner world,obsessive/rigid, sensory overload/meltdowns (Understanding INFJ "Grip" Stress - Psychology Junkie)
Also:
What stresses out an INFJ:
– Having to focus too much on sensory/concrete details
– An overload of sensory stimulation or noise
– Interruptions
– Distress within a close relationship
– Having their values violated
– Not enough alone time. Too much extraverting.
– Working with closed-minded people
– Lack of appreciation or understanding
– Unfamiliar environments with overwhelming amounts of details
– Having plans disrupted
– Not having a clear direction
– Lack of harmony
– Criticism and conflict
– Not being able to use their intuition or envision the future
– Having to focus too much on the present

When under stress, the INFJ feels fragmented or lost. They feel like they can’t be themselves, and feel an urge to act a part to “survive” or fit in. This disassociation can cause physical symptoms for the INFJ, like headaches, IBS, or nausea. The repressed feelings they’re holding onto can cause them to become immobilized. If they are under chronic extreme stress, they may fall into the grip of their inferior function, extraverted sensing. When this happens, they may engage in indulgent, self-destructive habits like binge-eating, watching too much television, over-exercising, or drinking too much. This often feels like an out-of-body experience to them. What they do provides no pleasure, but feels somewhat robotic and out of control. After this occurs, they dwell in self-hatred, falling even more into guilt over what they’ve done. They may become uncharacteristically angry and quick-tempered, unreasonable, and irrational. They may become obsessed with details in their outer world; obsessively cleaning or doing housework. They stumble over their words, and their intense feelings may eventually lead them to a state of complete exhaustion.

Blogger Stephanie Briggs describes; “INFJs tend to be loosely tethered to physical reality, suffering from clumsiness (“How did I get this bruise?”), spaciness, and a distaste for practical details and tasks.”

"A lot of INFJs and INTJs are highly-sensitive people. We don’t like fluorescent lights, loud noises, bright, stimulating environments. My husband likes to laugh at me sometimes because I always want to dim the lights upon entering a room. After I do this I am visibly more relaxed and at ease. He also enjoys action movies, and I do too sometimes, but after a while the explosions and bright saturation of colors, the excess stimuli, gets to be too much for me. I want to bury my head in a pillow and block it all out. I’m not prone to outbursts of anger, but if my kids are being especially loud (as kids are prone to do), I often have to go to my room and take a “time out”. I close the door, lay face-down on my bed for a few moments so that all sensory stimulation is cut off, then I get back up, take a deep breath, and try to keep going with the day. Taking these little breaks is part of what keeps me sane."

As you can see, there are a lot of parallels.
Those with a personality type like this, who have also experienced a lot of developmental trauma (as I have - alcoholic, bipolar parent, narcissistic toxic grandmother, foster care, neglect + abuse etc..), which exaggerates the negative and turbulent aspects of the personality type (traumatic sensory flashbacks, meltdowns/overwhelm/soothing behaviours, social issues due to trauma etc..) ends up looking very much like high-functioning autism/Aspergers/PDD-NOS.

Im not saying I have an answer, just that ive had similar questions. Aspergers/autism is a pervasive developmental disorder - it is meant to be separate from personality. Youre probably an entirely different personality type, but I know mine has made me question the Aspergers diagnosis because I feel this fits better (and Aspergers is so poorly understood in the mainstream world that a diagnosis can be hindering rather than helpful unfortunately)

 

[kazuki]

I am very very new to the autism and Asperger world. I was wondering how to differentiate between possible traits of autism and Asperger's and quirky personality traits. Is there a difference or is Asperger's apart of my personality?

From my point of view people loved my personality. as I grew older I saw the good things that humanity can bring so I would say that Asperger's creates new ways to have humor.

 

[BirdHeart]

I am very very new to the autism and Asperger world. I was wondering how to differentiate between possible traits of autism and Asperger's and quirky personality traits. Is there a difference or is Asperger's apart of my personality?

I suspect that ASpergers does not affect your personality or intelligence. I think these would be the same Aspie or not, hence the variety of what is perceived as 'symptoms to the superficial world'.

However Aspergers gives us a unique outlook that is not to be underestimated or 'pretended' out.

 

[the_tortoise]

Our personality traits, OTOH, determine how we would react once we recognize that impairment.

• SKEPTICS get depressed and abandon all hope of improvement.
• PESSIMISTS get anxious about the fickle mores of NT society and are always on edge.
  
• CYNICS get angry at the perceived injustice of the NT-centric system and will devote their lives to railing against it, and
• OPTIMISTS will formulate coping strategies and build bridges, where possible.
• (There are probably other responses, but these are the ones that spring to mind.)

I like this distinction.

I think there is overlap between the behavioral responses in the categories you propose, though. I also think that different categories can be found in the same person, and to varying degrees (either at different times or depending on context, or simultaneously) . To elaborate:

Among the cynics I know/have known (or think I have known -- I can at least count the self-professed ones), I think some would (based on how they react to other difficulties or to the world in general) develop a degree of apathy and hopelessness, and perhaps become extremely depressed. Others would probably be able to come to terms with their impairments and just continue on as best they can, given the way they have made peace/resigned themselves to the world as they see it -- doing the best they can and trying not to dwell on anger and all the negative they see, since it does no good for them or anyone else. All that I have known would be inclined to formulate self-sufficiant coping strategies (whether they see fighting to change the world as worthwhile or not) because the idea that they could regularly (or ever) trust others to help or understand them seems ridiculous to them;

Optimists might react by rallying against perceived injustice, might get anxious or angry or down (maybe not outright depressed very often or ever) about their impairments and how the world will treat them even while feeling hopeful and looking to make the best of difficult situations. (One can be an optimist and a realist, or simply an optimist who has lived a life full of trauma and/or has mental health difficulties);

Pessimists might or might not be anxious about how the world will treat them or how they will manage in life -- they could become angry or depressed instead.

In any case, your distinction is helpful to me. What you call personality traits, I might call aspects of worldview, but this is maybe just because personality is an elusive concept for me. I have only a hazy sense of what it's supposed to be / what things go into it / what it is made of.

 

[tlc]

The optimist says, "The cup is half full..."
The pessimist says, "The cup is half empty..."
The engineer says, "There is twice as much cup as there needs to be."

The engineer's view:
The optimist says, "The cup is half full..."
The pessimist says, "The cup is half empty..."
The accountant says, "There is twice as much cup as there needs to be.
The engineer says, "It depends on if you're drinking, or getting the cup filled. If you just enjoyed half a cup, it's optimism. If they only gave you half a cup, it's pessimism. And that still assumes we are talking about delicious drinks and not a grease cup under a bbq grille.......