That's a really interesting story and I think it highlights something underdiscussed - that if you're a "divergent" person you're prone to attract "typical" people who are into seeing you as a project. If you make your diagnosis a big part of your personality, you'll truly attract those type of people. In my opinion, from my experience h…
That's a really interesting story and I think it highlights something underdiscussed - that if you're a "divergent" person you're prone to attract "typical" people who are into seeing you as a project. If you make your diagnosis a big part of your personality, you'll truly attract those type of people. In my opinion, from my experience having ADHD and anxiety that's almost like PTSD, the more I'm vocal about it being "part of me," the more I get a weird clinical "project" type adoration from people.
When we see people performing their diagnosis-identity, we're seeing someone in the honeymoon phase of discovering the levels of validation they can get. I think we're basically seeing snapshots of a million people before they start to see how little that validation will do for them in the long run.
Oh yeah. I see that. I think I've felt something like this - I can remember, when I was in my teens and twenties especially, this confusion over the fact that some people give me less attention but feel like my real friends, while other people give me a lot of attention, making me feel like "oh wow is this what friendship is supposed to be like," and then getting tired of me in a way that my other "less attentive" friends didn't.
Yeah, I think it is about that, and I also think that that practice of justifying why you think you're above criticism... I think that's part of it. I think it's one of the many aspects of this that feels good but then has severely diminishing returns after the honeymoon phase, resulting in a thing where people who get over it just stop posting about it and are in turn replaced by more people in the honeymoon phase who want to post about it.
I think there is a revolving door but there are a number of people who need the validation so much that they grasp it very tightly and it becomes their identity.
That's a really interesting story and I think it highlights something underdiscussed - that if you're a "divergent" person you're prone to attract "typical" people who are into seeing you as a project. If you make your diagnosis a big part of your personality, you'll truly attract those type of people. In my opinion, from my experience having ADHD and anxiety that's almost like PTSD, the more I'm vocal about it being "part of me," the more I get a weird clinical "project" type adoration from people.
When we see people performing their diagnosis-identity, we're seeing someone in the honeymoon phase of discovering the levels of validation they can get. I think we're basically seeing snapshots of a million people before they start to see how little that validation will do for them in the long run.
Oh yeah. I see that. I think I've felt something like this - I can remember, when I was in my teens and twenties especially, this confusion over the fact that some people give me less attention but feel like my real friends, while other people give me a lot of attention, making me feel like "oh wow is this what friendship is supposed to be like," and then getting tired of me in a way that my other "less attentive" friends didn't.
Oh yeah. I'm pretty sure I've been a part of that dynamic plenty of times back in the day!
Hmm. I think you’re on to something.
At the very least it’s about clearing a lane so that you can be vocal and above personal criticism.
Yeah, I think it is about that, and I also think that that practice of justifying why you think you're above criticism... I think that's part of it. I think it's one of the many aspects of this that feels good but then has severely diminishing returns after the honeymoon phase, resulting in a thing where people who get over it just stop posting about it and are in turn replaced by more people in the honeymoon phase who want to post about it.
I think there is a revolving door but there are a number of people who need the validation so much that they grasp it very tightly and it becomes their identity.