A friend of mine was reading me some article that said Einstein was "Autistic". That's hard for me to swallow.
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Los Angeles
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Re: Hey Did You Know!!
Fri, December 15, 2006 - 2:38 PMAccording to what I've heard, it's suspected that Einstein had what's called Asperger's Disorder which is also defined as a form of autism. But according to my view of things, Asperger's Disorder is just another example of my belief that psychology is mostly bunk. Most people, including so-called mental health professionals, have a preconceived notion of what "normal" behavior is. And if even if someone operates just slightly outside of "normal" behavior, they are often classified as being metally ill. I once asked a former therapist of mine that if the majority of people had Asperger's Disorder, would it still be considered a disorder. And her answer was exactly what I expected: NO.
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Re: Hey Did You Know!!
Fri, December 15, 2006 - 5:01 PMEven mental health professionals will tell you there is some statistical backing to what is considered normal and that the norms change.
If everyone had motor tics and occasional profane outbursts, would the phrase "Tourette's disorder" even exist? Probably not. But that's not the world you or I live in, and it helps to have the vocabulary to describe everything, perhaps especially the things with ail us.
Go find a copy of very first DSM. You'll find homosexual disorders listed, a category which has since disappeared for some very obvious reasons. If anything, this willingness to change is what should give the study of psychology (or anything) validity. Numerology? Astrology? Bunk. Psychology? As long as we have personalities, questions, anxiety, and emotions in general, psychology cannot be bunk. -
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Re: Hey Did You Know!!
Fri, December 15, 2006 - 5:17 PMForgive me my rant. Not that any of it confirms that Einstein was anything other than brilliant. -
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Re: Hey Did You Know!!
Sun, December 17, 2006 - 11:33 AMWhatever the case, I still think psychology is 90 percent bunk. Maybe if it were less bunk, perhaps folks would have a greater apreciation for Einstein and certain other "socially awkward" types.
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Re: Hey Did You Know!!
Sun, December 17, 2006 - 6:38 PMYou alienate me with that statement.
I would say people need to get over their own stigma towards their own foibles. If you break your leg, you know what to do and what kind of treatment to expect from a doctor. If you break your psyche, most people don't even begin to recognize it, and the means of treating breaks are still in their infancy. Medicine is all trial and error, psychology more so. You just happen to live in a cutlre where the wounded are trying to help the wounded. We know it works, we are only just barely aware how it works.
And for the record, I'm not a mental-health-care professional.
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