This is one of a series of discussion posts based on questions from the AQ-10 autism test.
3. I find it easy to “read between the lines” when someone is talking to me.
- Definitely Agree
- Slightly Agree
- Slightly Disagree
- Definitely Disagree
Is this statement true for you? Can you think of any examples? Is it an easy or difficult question for you to answer?
You can take the full AQ-10 test here. Note this test is intended as a quick screener, and cannot diagnose or rule out any condition on its own.
Aye, storytime. My boss is a sociopath and a gaslighter. He tends to try to get you to do illegal and unethical shit without saying it because he would be implicated. Naturally because he speaks in gaslighting riddles it leaves me confused and asking lots of follow up questions because he simply isnt making sense. This makes him feel dumb and he sees it as challenging his authority. It took me years to catch on to this shit. I thought he was just a shit communicator and of course this put a target on my back. Add to this he always sensed that something was “off” about me and attributed all kinds of nefarious motives to me, even once accusing me of being on drugs. Narcissists and sociopaths are the natural enemy of people on the spectrum.
This “asking questions challenges my authority” crap can go die in a fire. Am I asking why you’re the boss? Then maybe I’d be challenging your authority. Until then I’m asking questions because it would be helpful for me to know the answers.
Anyway, it sounds like you’re not safe in that environment. I’m sure you already know that, and I don’t know what options you have in your situation, but you’ll work something out.
This weird attitude towards questions has puzzled me most of my life. People holding work presentations going “save your questions until the end” and being upset at people asking for completely necessary clarification in order to follow their presentation.
And people who ask USELESS questions at the end, which serves no other purpose than showing the audience that they too are very smart.
It’s just a social positioning ceremony for some people.
I see it as “Im trying my best to do the right thing here. Im new at this job and I need you to tell me what the right thing is.” I always assumed that OUR job is to make sure X happens therefore we’re working towards a common goal. So I assume good intent. Learning about aspergers for me was largely a journey in understanding my own naievete. Since it would never occur to me to gaslight, play games, shun, triangulate, sabotage, or needlessly cause suffering to others it never occurred to me that others might do that.