AboutTrey McGowan Expertise My primary expertise is in the area of the social, psychological, and mental development of Aspergers Syndrome and other high-functioning Autistic Spectrum Disorders. I am also very knowledgeable in the communication disorders and common co-existing issues. I'm well-read on most of these as well as having experienced it myself. Other aspects of autism, I can do fairly well at as well, from the oversensitivity to the recognition of it.
Warning: I am *not* a medical professional, and while I can research answers through books and online, I can not give direct medical expertise.
Experience I am 14 years diagnosed Asperger's Autistic, and have been reading up and studying it, as well as taking 'first hand accounts' for most of those 14 years. In addition, I have had three children, adopted elsewhere, all of whom are varying degrees of autistic from mid to high functioning. My mother has done some research on the subject as well, and passed some of it on to me.
Education/Credentials I have completed grade school and most of high school, and achieved a GED. I've also received home schooling.
Question myself and one of my friends are both autistic (i do not know which particular class i am and i didnt inquire on my friends part) and i was wondering if you could explain to me(us) why we both seem to have extreme difficulty in liking (fancying/loving etc) real people yet we both find ourselves growing attached to non existant people(anime/video game and book characters) very easily, even though we know they are fake.
i asked this under autism because i suspected this may be related to it.
Answer Hi there, James!
While I can't guarantee that this is, indeed, related to autism, I can think of a few reasons as to why this is. Please note, not only am I not a doctor, but I'm not a clinical psychologist. Therefore, my answer may not 'jibe' with that of a genuine expert.
One of the issues with autism is the ability to read the subtle social signals that come with the usual interaction. This can make it harder to attach to people because of a constant worry that some 'comment' was missed, or misread, in what they say. From what I gather, second-guessing can be very common in autistic individuals, particularly those who were diagnosed late and did not have any 'training' in the social interaction. If you are constantly wondering if so-and-so meant what he said, or if he was just joking to you, it can often be hard to befriend someone. And in the intricate dance of love, lust, and relationships, reading those subtle signs can be even more difficult.
So now we come to the case of the animated characters in video games, in particular those of a Japanese persuasion. Their eyes are large so they can express their emotions very clearly. They do not have subtle features, so any emotional cues have to be fairly extreme or, in the case of books, explained in very clear language. Due to this, there is less duplicity in these non-existent characters for someone who relies on the small and intricate social mores that the average autistic finds so difficult.
Hopefully that helped answer your question, and I wish you and your friend the best! Further questions, comments, feedback, and follow-ups are welcome!
