Do you look for causes??

[chris420]

Inspired by the flat head thread...do you spend a lot of time looking for innate causes (i.e. things you are born with) to explain your SA?

Medical science seems to be going this route, towards explaining every human trait through genetics, that you are born how you are...but you could say it is extremely deterministic and only adds to ones perceived helplessness in the face of depression/SA.

The ultimate form of this school of thought is that free will does not exist; every thought, every action is pre-coded in your genes. You don't have control over your own thoughts. Do you believe that?

If you were diagnosed as autistic, what would change? would you accept your fate as a miserable loner, and stop trying to be social? Plenty of people with mild autism have grown up and managed to have many good, healthy relationships in adulthood. (If you had anything like full-blown autism you would not be posting here.) People throughout history have defied their own disablements to acheive amazing things. Would it be so incredible for you to make some friends? Think about the social skills you have. If these aren't great, you can build on them. Most of us are lucky, I fully believe there is NOTHING stopping us, except lack of self-belief...

 

[Scrabbl]

Personally I never bothered to look for the cause of SP because I didn't think it would help. But I was shy for as long as I can remember, and when I hit the teens it got worse. I have no idea what the cause is...

Inspired by the flat head thread...do you spend a lot of time looking for innate causes (i.e. things you are born with) to explain your SA?

Medical science seems to be going this route, towards explaining every human trait through genetics, that you are born how you are...but you could say it is extremely deterministic and only adds to ones perceived helplessness in the face of depression/SA.

I think the mainstream scientists still believe that nurture (environment etc) is at least equally important as nature (genes). They have actually done studies to determine how important genetics is by observing identical twins who are separated at birth and brought up in different families

But yeah if genetics does matter a lot, like in autism, then it's probably not a good idea for doctors to tell a child, or even the parents about his or her autism. I understand what you're saying. sometimes ignorance is bless

For SP though, I think most psychologists would agree it's (mostly) not genetics.

 

[tool1919]

I think there's definitely a genetic susceptibility to it, but think it is mostly our environment. Somewhere along the line we have had experiences, whether conciously or subconciously, that has re-wired our brains to respond negatively to certain things. This may have been a gradual process for some (like me i think) whereas there may be one or two really bad things that do it to other people, such as abused as a child, always put down by parents and others, or whatever.

 

[Zarrix]

The core elements of SA may be present when one is born, but it is negative social experiences later on in life that make it evolve. For example, if one is hypersensitive to criticism, then that makes the mind a breeding ground for SA. Same with pessimism.

Simularly, one may be the happiest, most socially optimistic person in the world, but they may get knocked off their horse by a horrific event and the downward spiral will begin.

 

[Carstuar]

I don't look for causes anymore. I'm looking for solutions and compromises.

 

[Lea]

What is bad with searching? I am not saying this is it, I just don´t know. But we have to consider everything. Personally I think our condition is a mixture of influences, incl. past lives (like it or not, I believe they might exist), genetic, birth, treatment in childhood etc. Especially lack of love in childhood or stable family background can do a lot of damage I think (I am not saying this produces necessarily SP, but other mental illnesses also).
Free will and effort to change the situation can often be very helpful, and perhaps it can even make miracles if you have the willpower in yourself. The problem is have the willpower. And if you do have some, life obstacles and limits make you loose it. And pushing yourself into things - it is always good to go forward but for example at present I am pushing myself into doing a job but my employer sent me to a doctor because it is obvious I cannot cope. (BTW the GP said I do not come across as autistic in any way, so what´s wrong with me then?) Anyway there must be an answer and the ideal way to live and solve our problems, but what the hell it is?
And where is somebody to give us the answer? We are left here all by ourselves to find out. We can speculate, but never know for certain.

 

[Zarrix]

It is quite interesting and a little sad to try and figure out where it all started. I hae already got a few theories regarding the point where it really took off. I was a ery eccentric kid, and this got me into trouble at school. So I suddenly stopped and become the quite kid because it wasn't going to get me far, and I began to be the laughing stock of the grade, despite my aboe aerage academic capabilities. Social Retardation =(

Howeer, een before I became quiet, I had only eer had a few friends in the first fie grades, then they left for another school. Maybe I een showed signs of mild autism in my early years. But I continue to think about it eeryday, (where it started)because I still find it so hard to make friends especially.