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ON QUASI-INTELLECTUAL ELITISM (Intellectual Stigmatism we call Autism, ADHD, LD, MH, etc.):

There is still so much misunderstanding, even amongst some professionals, concerning what causes psychological and social problems. Because of a relatively small number of successful identifications of 'organic' causes (of rare conditions), the assumption is that all 'irritating' differences that people have, are the result of physical abnormalities, individual incompetence, or genetic weaknesses.

What is often not realised is; the frustrations that we feel are often repercussions of the distress we collectively generate for others, through relative ignorance and general prejudice. There are 'optimum' levels for human beings to function. Push the limits and there are social consequences.
 The Environment overrules Clinical Judgments (Click here to Full Text in a New Window).

First Law of Relativistic Psychology: Frustrate any person's initiatives and abilities to express their intuitive skills and intellectual competence, positively in the social world and they will either: Express these inwardly, within their own world  (Autistic Features, Psychosis & Schizoaffective Disorders, etc.). Or; They will express these negatively in your world (Violence, crime, aggression, antisocial behaviour, terrorism and other, variously destructive individual and social behaviours. There is always an outcome.

Second Law of Relativistic Psychology: We recreate our social world every day. Short term selfish benefits replicate themselves and create long term social distress, which eventually affects everyone. Like the existence of gravity, this has always been the case and has been recognised by the wise for hundreds of generations. These Laws are as fundamental as the laws of Thermal Dynamics and Relativistic Theory. Like Tumbling Dominos, Stacked Dice. or a House of Cards - There are knock-on effects.
 

Your Choice response:

I concur with this finding and it fits with my own professional experience over a period of 35 years. The same is true of those who are sometimes, subsequently identified as having with ‘schizophrenia’ in adult life. Autism has even been classified as childhood schizophrenia.

Autism is not a ‘condition’; it is an alternative way of experiencing life. Our social and professional reactions, like so often is the case, is which most ‘disables’ the person. Look for the positive qualities in people, not their limitations. Learn to judge others by their talents, not their ‘apparent’ failures; judged by our limited and prejudiced standards, used to justify our lazy thinking.

These are people who think and communicate experiences differently to the average, ‘so called normal’. The way people are clinically treated and the institutional prejudices that are often experienced within some health care, educational and social care practices (even with the very best of intentions at times); I am not surprised they become so mentally and emotionally distresses.

Psychiatric expertise requires a total revision. There are so many prejudices that remain in psychiatric thinking; concerning Learning Difficulties, Autism, Mental Illness (socially induced mental and emotional distress), ADHD and even much ‘anti social behaviour’. Sometimes, more creative and intuitive ways of thinking ‘shortcut’ the normal ‘rationalised’ routes and come up with profound solutions to problems.

‘Normal’ Intelligence and modern, conventional ways of thinking, are grossly overrated. Look at the consequences of short term, ‘give it to me now’, ‘I want more’ and ‘give me some more of the same’, attitudes. Most of these ‘conditions’ are, in psychiatric terms ‘delusionary’. Our societies become ‘sick’ and ‘stale’, in their ways of thinking, but that is too distressing to accept, so; someone has to be at the bottom of the pile, to make the rest feel better by comparison.

Professionals are now on a steep learning curve, accelerated by the IT revolution. They will fight back, but the changes are coming fast now. The Genome project is throwing up lots of evidence that refutes many pet professional ideas and concepts that have been around for 100 years or more. The revolution in thinking, brought about by modern science and IT developments, has awoken the sleeping doubts about the competence of our ‘normal’ decision making processes.

As a long term, frustrated ‘social’ professional, I am pleased to see the beginnings of the demise of outmoded, prejudiced professional thinking, which has corrupted the thinking of ordinary, caring people for 150 years. I was beginning to fear that I would not see this revolution in thinking and attitudes in my lifetime. The internet demonstrates and allows us to share, the richness of alternative thinking and ‘openness’ to alternative perspective. These can only make all our lives richer.

Keep up the good work and pass the message on, with courage. Do not be discouraged by ‘rational’ thinkers. With many modern rational thinkers, it is mostly just a pretence; it has become an cover for ‘rationalising’ and ‘justifying’ selfish intentions. It is often a way of discouraging more valid experiences and more socially inclusive attitudes.

 Intellect is a wonderful gift, but is meaningless without compassion, insight, creativity and wisdom. People described as having Autism, like any other 'condition', will challenge us, but in doing so (if we open our mind's eyes), they inform and educate us.  

It is becoming increasingly apparent that some of the most creative and productive people on our planet have some supposed autistic, ADHD, dyslexic, or psychotic feature. They don’t ‘overcome’ these problems, they refuse to see them as a problems; but more a talent. Those that fail to succeed are often ‘disabled’ by our limited and otherwise discriminatory thinking and attitudes towards them. We should not seek to help them overcome their problems but ignore, or overcome the barriers put in their way by others.

Everyone is intellectually and socially impaired in some way, some of us just don’t recognise it and, in the process, damage others, through our relative ignorance. Those most in denial do most of the damage to our society and the various discriminated groups within it. People are not 'disabled', we 'dis-able' them, by forcing them into nice tidy 'boxes', packed with goodies for those who usurp the power to call the shots: Bullies. Wake up people! You are more competent than you are lead to believe.

No – this is not another ‘Conspiracy Theory’, it is the ‘Theory of Socially Induced, Universal Incompetence’. The real advances in knowledge are made by those who refuse to join this ‘Brotherhood of Confident, Average Incompetence’. The simple test of being ‘free’ of the Brotherhood is to measure the frequency of put downs, criticisms, abuse, neglect and exclusion that you get from the Brotherhood. The more stick you get, the more free you are. They would have you Averaged; Resist - J.

Being free of limited ways of thinking does not guarantee success, or even ensure you will find the right answers, but it will ensure that you do not consistently find and apply the wrong answers, or persistently apply the wrong strategies in solving problems. Remember, someone with Autism, or dyslexia, or ADHD, or psychosis, is now proven to be more likely, to more quickly, solve a problem, or come up with more interesting and creative, or even more humorous, alternative answers.

“Enjoy us, don’t fear us, we are there for you and will look after you better than you often do us, or even than we do ourselves. We have no fear, or adequate words, just silent love for those we care about and who trust enough to care about us. You already knew we love you, so stop looking for the evidence. What quality has ‘proof’ given you, that faith, trust and experience has not provided better, with intuitive wisdom”. (Join the Sisterhood). 

For more information on these issues visit: www.visitweb.org and search 'Autism' in the website search engine (below).

© Terry Couchman; Visitweb / Your Choice; June, 2009.