Sunday, April 19, 2009

Are Most Right-wingers in the Asperger's Spectrum?

A pervasive developmental disorder, Asperger syndrome is distinguished by a pattern of symptoms rather than a single symptom. It is characterized by qualitative impairment in social interaction, by stereotyped and restricted patterns of behavior, activities and interests, and by no clinically significant delay in cognitive development or general delay in language. Intense preoccupation with a narrow subject, one-sided verbosity, restricted prosody, and physical clumsiness are typical of the condition, but are not required for diagnosis.

I am keenly interested in Asperger Syndrome [AS] and it dawned on me the other day that quite a few characteristics of the disorder seem to mimic the behavior of many on the right side of the political spectrum.

If you personally know a person who is a right-winger, think about the description of the disorder and that person. People with AS report a feeling of being unwillingly detached from the world around them and problems in social interaction with peers. This developmental problem in their abilities to successfully engage in interpersonal relationships has caught my attention. Is this why the right-winger displays signs of narcissism? Is this why they are more interested in their personal gain rather than society in general?

That narcissistic 'me, my mine' trait seems pervasive in those on the far right side of the political spectrum- as if the rest of society does not exist or is not worth caring about.

It's just a hypothesis on my part, but one that may have merit. Please note that I am not dissing those with Asperger's by comparing them to the adult right-wingers.

Lefty Blogs