Most people with Aspergers, or with any form of autism, don't shoot up elementary schools the way Adam Lanza did. In fact, most Aspies are harmless dweebs.
So the immediate temptation is to conclude that Adam was not only autistic, he was a sociopath as well.
But most Aspies are so socially inept that they couldn't be manipulative and backstabbing and skillfully dishonest even if they wanted to be. The ones I've known have been sort of pathetic and child-like. They don't understand what makes others tick, have no idea how to banter or joke around, and certainly can't bend others to their will. Most seem almost incapable of lying. And they tend to be the targets of bullies. All of which, in a way, seems to preclude sociopathy.
But it's hard to imagine anything more evil than mowing down a bunch of five and six year olds with an assault rifle. How could you do that without being utterly lacking in conscience? Has any sociopath ever done worse?
One thing Aspies do have in common with narcissists (sociopaths are a subset of narcissists) is that they don't take criticism well: nothing is ever their fault. But whereas sociopaths are adept at coming up with glib excuses, Aspies come up with lame ones. Aspies also have little self-control, and get upset easily. Thus, they are the opposite of cool -- which would also seem to preclude sociopathy.
Lanza also had that weird medical condition where he couldn't feel pain. Given that Aspies always seem to have a hard time imagining people being different from themselves, maybe he had no concept of the pain that he was inflicting on others.
And who knows, maybe you don't even have to be on the autistic spectrum not to be able to imagine what you can't feel. Maybe it's a little like understanding colors when you're blind.
Which puts Lanza a little less in the evil camp, and more in the crazy camp.
From what we've heard so far, it sounds as if Lanza's parents genuinely loved him, which also generally means a child will not be sociopathic. (That's a hard one to measure, though: there are plenty of families which look good from the outside but which produce sociopaths because the parents were only going through the motions.)
It's a bit of a quandary. I's impossible to imagine someone with Aspergers as a functioning sociopath. Yet it's hard to imagine someone with a conscience killing those innocent children.
I just don't know.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
10 comments:
Interesting that we are now reading that the Wyoming boy who killed his college professor father in a classroom did so because he blamed his father for causing his Aspergers. The timing of the two cases could be a coincidence, but maybe those with Aspergers are more capable of violence than realized. Part of the lack of self-control?
Anon --
Good question. Could be that, and could also be the lack of empathy. They seem to have a harder time putting themselves in others' shoes.
My ex girlfriend said she had aspergers. It turned out that it was a cover for her shockingly vindictive sociopathy. An excellent excuse indeed. Lacking in empathy and being socially inept does explain some horrible behaviour. What revealed it was how great a reader of others she was. Played everyone like puppets, including me. Dumped her as soon as I twigged.
She gives genuine aspergers folks a BAD name.
Ampledresalambert --
That's an interesting story, and it does sound exactly like something a sociopath would do.
I knew a sociopath once who claimed to have cancer, she used that as an excuse for her impulsive and selfish behavior. I have since been forever grateful to her for having taught me about sociopathy.
Here’s a motive for Adam Lanza’s massacre – Adam was raped by a local, convicted Catholic priest, Fr John Castaldo, when Adam was 6 years old, and was taking revenge against other 6 year olds. Here's the verified evidence:
http://neilallen76.wordpress.com/2012/12/19/why-adam-lanza-massacred-children-at-sandy-hook-newtown-a-theory/
It can’t be proven yet, but it is the best explanation yet for why Adam would want to take revenge against other 6 year olds, since no one protected him when he was 6 years old.
I have been on a few different sites about Aspies over the past few years because I have people in my life who I am sure are Aspies. Unfortunately. I am finding though that, lately, it is becoming more and more difficult to find sites, forums, message boards, etc.' who permit criticism of Aspies, and I find this very disconcerting. If anyone really needs to connect with other people concerning autism and Aspergers, it is the people who inevitably become caught in the wake of all the intense collateral damage that Aspies inflict on "innocent bystanders". What is really disturbing to me is that there are a few sites which feature special forums for the wives of Aspies, and upon reading them you would think that you were reading a script for a day-time romantic soap-opera. All of this "but he has such a warm heart", "he's so interesting," etc., totally invalidating themselves about all of the destructive, abusive and toxic crap that the Aspie husband has subjected them to. These wives sound very much like Alanon wives in the early stages of their recovery. It could also be that the Aspie is the female/wife, but it is usually the other way around.
I think that it is of paramount important that the friends and family of Aspies/people w/autism have a place that they can unload without having to worry about interfering with the "postitive" image that many patients, medical/psych professionals seem to want to paint of Aspies, recently. It is also truly nauseating how people try to tie in "diversity" with tolerance for all people who are "different". In a socio-polital climate where it is politically correct to accept everyone as inherently "OK", manipulative people like Aspies can literally get away with murder. Some of the most infuriating posts I've seen are regarding how, HAPPILY, some people with Aspurgers and autism have surreptitiously "masked" their symptoms into adulthood, thereby gaining access to mainstream society and "normal" people. I would think that such deception should be condemned, not condoned, and/or applauded. I know what it like to have to deal with Aspies who have found clever ways to conceal their disabilities, and I am trying to not get caught into becoming a victim of the Cassandra Syndrome. It is enough that some of my life was spent coping with people who have serious addictions, and I really don't want seriously dysfunctional people ruing my happiness, anymore. Aspies can be very cruel, destructive and mind-f*cking, and having the syndrome is nothing to celebrate; and, moreover, their disabilities should not be allowed remain hidden from others,nor, should it ever be encouraged, even if they have been asymptomatic for years. Autism and its symptoms can rear its ugly disgusting, head any time in a Aspie's life.
I am glad that I found your blog-spot, John, and I really hope that you keep your posts on Aspies/autism current and active. This is probably the only site which allows for straight talk about Aspies without vengeful hysteria, or stupid celebration of a life-altering disability. Thanks!
Anonymous --
Thank you very much for that comment. You make an excellent point about how people are allowed to talk about Aspergers. Being unable to read people and being clueless and lacking common sense are not a "gift," they are a disability. But our politically correct age does not allow for honest discussion of these traits, we're supposed to pretend that Aspies are "differently abled" or some such nonsense. There have been a few people with Aspergers whose syndrome and monomaniacal focus on one subject has allowed them special insights and abilities (Albert Einstein has been said to have had the syndrome), but the vast majority of Aspies have no special mental abilities, only special mental disabilities.
I agree with every single thing you said except the bits about how they can be asymptomatic for years and how they can be manipulative. In my experience, they can be asymptomatic for hours, if they're trying to act normal, but if you're around them, you'll pretty much get fairly constant clues as to their not being quite right in the head.
As for the manipulativeness, I've found they're really too clueless to be able to successfully manipulate people. Take a look at the third comment from the top, a commenter ("ampledresalambert") spoke about a sociopath he knew who pretended to have Aspergers. I wonder if you haven't run into one of those. Sociopaths are extremely manipulative.
PS -- If you type in "Aspergers, Aspies" in the search box at the top of the blog, all the posts I've put up about Aspergers will come up. The original post (titled "Aspergers Syndrome", from August 18, 2011) continues to get a lot of comments, both from Aspies themselves (who are resentful that I've described them accurately) and people who've had to deal with them (who are generally relieved to see that others feel the same way).
I'm really glad to have found your blog because only recently I have allowed myself to ask the question if my autistic sister is capable of intentional evil acts (http://enilina.livejournal.com/22318.html#comments). My parents blamed her violence on autism but it was really just an excuse to not deal with her, leaving me the little sister to discipline her out of that nasty behavior. Ah the miracle of immediate consequence of actions.
Enilina --
Just read some of your journal and I sympathize with your plight. Aspergers does tend to run in families and I wonder if one or both of your parents might not have had a touch of it themselves, especially since simple and all-encompassing rationalizations are symptomatic of those with the syndrome.
Here's another post you might find interesting, about the extent to which Aspies are responsible for their own behavior (there's no perfect answer):
http://justnotsaid.blogspot.com/2013/02/are-aspies-not-responsible-for-their.html
Post a Comment