Autism/Aspergers And Attachment
Unico
Pileated woodpecker
Joined: 22 Jul 2004
Age: 43
Gender: Female
Posts: 194
Location: Glen Ellyn, Illinois, USA
I get very attached to objects and people. I hate to get rid of anything I own and still have my baby blanket and the baby/young childhood toys I've been able to salvage. I also always have had an intense interest in certain people (generally friends) and I wanted to always be with them, felt very special in their presence, and so on. It's really hard for me to shift my attention from one person to another, but sometimes I have to try if the person is mistreating me or we are no longer friends.
CockneyRebel
Veteran
Joined: 17 Jul 2004
Age: 51
Gender: Male
Posts: 121,181
Location: In my own little country
I definitely attach to objects, particularly stuffed animals, and decorative objects, like boxes, or rocks, or such.
My stuffed gorilla that I always had burned up in my apartment fire of 2004 . . . ironic, as I was too engaged in my architecture interest using the sims to notice my bedroom was on fire until it was too late. I smelled something burning and got up to investigate. I walked right past the fire to check the oven, confirmed it was off, and then walked by the fire again - did a classic double take - and finally reacted.
I found the same gorilla on ebay, and despite an unlimited insurance policy, it is the only thing I replaced directly. Sure, I bought clothes, and some new canvases, but my gorilla was the only thing that mattered.
In my case, my mind went back to reading Anne McCaffrey's "The Rowan" books, and her idea of the pooka, and I think of it that way.
LtlPinkCoupe
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Joined: 7 Dec 2011
Age: 34
Gender: Female
Posts: 2,044
Location: In my room, where it's safe
I would sometimes become very attached to people, when I was a kid. Some of the attachments were normal, like my attachment to my aunt, and others were a bit random, such as my attachment to one of my mom's co-workers. Her co-worker seemed to like me, but my mom was always yelling at me not to bother her.
Another time I allowed myself to become attached to somebody was when my parents were hosting an exchange college student at their house when I was about 5. The student really seemed to like me and she and she gathered a bunch of sticks in our backyard, broke them into smaller sections, and made a little house out of them.
A couple of days later, I found out she was leaving, and I destroyed a part of the stick house....not the whole thing, just enough so that she was aware that I was upset at her leaving after she had bonded with me.
....Come to think of it, it's really no wonder everyone pushed me away after awhile; I was kind of a weird little prick when I was a kid.
Also, every time my aunt had to leave after visiting, I would go into this really deep depression for at least a couple of days afterward. To me, it was like being abandoned by the one person in the world who truly understood me. I would lie under my bedcovers with the Pikachu plush she gave me years ago and try to get her "love" from that. She also gave me a plushie of Sneezy from Snow White and the Seven Dwarves when I was a baby, but he was usually at my dad's house and Pikachu was bigger and more cuddly.
I think part of the reason why I sought my attachments to real people in the oddest places was bcuz I really didn't have friends when I was a kid. The only kids my age in our street were two boys who mostly just beat me up when they came over, and anyway, even I did make real friends, I wouldn't have known how to act around them or would just have gone along with whatever they wanted me to do....and one thing I've learned is, no matter how nice and sincere a potential "friend" may seem, once they realize that they can walk all over you, they WILL. They always do, pretty much. Generally speaking, my stuffed animals and the cartoon characters I saw on TV as a kid were my friends, growing up.
I'm grown up now, and my stuffed animals/movie and TV characters are still some of my closest friends. I know they won't leave me, anyway. When it comes to relationships I have with other people, I'm very friendly with them and express my love to them and all, but try to stay somewhat detached - I remind myself that they're just going to leave eventually; either it'll be bcuz I do something that pisses them off, they just get tired of me, or they die. I even feel this sort of detachment towards my own father and mother (and even my aunt), and it makes me sad....but I just keep telling myself that it HAS to be this way.
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I wish Sterling Holloway narrated my life.
"IT'S NOT FAIR!" "Life isn't fair, Calvin." "I know, but why isn't it ever unfair in MY favor?" ~ from Calvin and Hobbes
I feel more attached to objects. There are a lot of toys I still have in my room, and there are also clothes I get attached to and I would like to wear every time I go out (like my black shoes or the kimono I use at karate). But I can also get attached to people: for example, I'm very attached to my parents, and also to the other 4 people that are "reference points" in my life.
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Please write in a simple English; I'm Italian, so I might misunderstand the sense of your sentence.
You can talk me in Spanish and Italian, too.
attachment is another issue for "insecure avoidant" babies - now adults.
I think people with AS can sometimes lack the inherent trust to deal with the emotional uncertainty of people and so prefer to attach to their abilities or objects - notably computers - that do what you want when you want how you want.
as an aspie,i seem to have developed a sexual attachment to Giant Stuffed Bears & Tigers because of the negative perception of guys with aspergers by NT Women & Girls (Chubby) regarding romance,sex & eye contact making & how severely awkward we appear to them as since i'm better off single and i don't need a girlfriend because of it
& it would freak my mother out if she saw me with one in my room
I can get easily to objects/ things. When I was about 2 years old I had a piece of fluff that I was very attached to and carried around for days until it was hoovered up... I was devastated and had my mum take apart the vacuum cleaner in attempt to find it... obviously trying to find a specific piece of 'fluff' in a full vacuum cleaner is an impossible task
I'm also not particularly good at sharing >.<
I do however get attached to certain people, and had a pretty obsessive crush that lasted several years and my behaviour borderlined on stalking (luckily I wasn't harassing them and had no idea my behaviour wasn't entirely normal >.<)
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Diagnosed ASD Aug 2016, confirmed Dec 2016.
Also have OCD and various 'issues'.
I can easily get attached to both objects and people. Now I rarely get attached to people. But when I do, it usually practically becomes an infatuation. And it invariably becomes really hard for me to let go if the people don't show the same interest in me or they lose interest in me for whatever reason. This is most definitely a result of my Asperger's and the fact that I have trouble making friends and in fact have no close friends now. I've also never had a girlfriend.
My mom always thought Siamese cats only bonded to one person and always said I was like a Siamese cat because I would only bond with her. The only other living thing I bonded with was my bearded dragon. My mom said it was because lizards don't require reciprocal affection and everything was on my terms. No, my bearded dragon didn't yell at me all the time about things I couldn't control and didn't make me feel bad about them. My bearded dragon was always there when I needed her.
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Spell meerkat with a C, and I will bite you.
Attachment to objects, oh yes, I am attached to specific objects, eg. my iPad (well its main function is to be my voice when I cannot speak). In general, I do not like any of my belongings being touched by others. When I was a child, I refused to share my stuff with other children and even my cousins, solely because I could not stand their sticky hands on my clean stuff. If I was forced to share, I would order them to wash their hands (in front of me), stop eating, etc., then allow them to touch my beloved objects. I have my set of rules and require others to adhere if they want to touch my objects. I also love my own space and could be very 'territorial'. This was problematic when I had to share accommodation. I would guard the building and said things (no swearing but hurtful words) to people living there when the shared properties were not treated with respect. I had an outburst of aggression that surprised people at times. Now, I have my own little place and am at peace.
Attachment to people, hmm, I don't see the difference between attachment to objects and select people. It feels the same to me. My parents have complained that I am not attached to them...
Awkward by nature, I don't have many friends and I don't know how to keep in touch, particularly if they don't share my interest. I try my best to keep these few friends I have right now.
I am certain that I am capable of attachment to someone who can truly connect with me. I have never been interested in any romantic relationship as I have found it confusing. Besides, I am too busy with my research on the subjects of interest. A relationship like that will prevent from pursuing my interests. I would rather seek a platonic relationship. I've found that special person who cares for me and loves me for who I am, but neither seeks intimacy nor does anything that makes me feel uncomfortable. I do have a tendency to be obsessed with the select person, but not to the point of following him around or ringing him every day. He is working in the field of my special interest. That's a bonus.
StampySquiddyFan
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Joined: 19 Jul 2017
Age: 22
Gender: Female
Posts: 3,754
Location: Stampy's Lovely World
I get very attached to objects, even more often then people. When I do get attached to people, it is usually a specific person and it pretty much becomes an obsession. My number one object I am currently attached to is either my Squid toy or a library book. I always carry around objects that I am attached to as well.
I remember one time when I was around 7 years old and I had a stick I was very attached to. Well, my neighbor came over to play with my brother and started breaking my stick. I couldn't tell him to stop, so I got my mom to make him stop. Sadly, he had broken my stick beyond repair (keep in mind this is like a stick from a tree
). It was a pretty sad day!
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Hi! I'm Stampy (not the actual YouTuber, just a fan!) and I have been diagnosed professionally with ASD and OCD and likely have TS. If you have any questions or just want to talk, please feel free to PM me!
Current Interests: Stampy Cat, AGT, and Medicine
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