A new experience

In a previous class I took at Cornell, we touched upon the subject of internet communities that were created by and for people with Autism and Asperger’s syndromes, which involves deficits in social interaction, to communicate and develop personal connections with other people similar to themselves. I questioned the ethics of going into one of these discussion forums because I did not want to misrepresent myself in any way or pretend that I was something I am not. For this reason, I went into a chatroom for people with Asperger syndrome and simply observed a conversation among the people there. I focused specifically on a woman who introduced herself as being twenty four years old and from California.

I found this woman to be extremely honest, though she did not want to divulge her name to anyone. She seemed to have a very clear understanding of her abilities and disabilities, and what it is about this syndrome that makes her who she is. She talked about her intelligence and the ease through which she went through school, but when it came to physical attractiveness, she was unable to see any beauty in herself. However, even with her confidence in her studies, she was constantly questioning herself in the amount she raised her hand in class, in the way her family treated her at home, and in the way her peers viewed her. To me, this was a sign of an extremely conscientious person, diligent in her studies, yet questioning her every move almost to the point of neuroticism, most explicit in the negative emotions she expressed about her physical appearance. The other members of the site seemed to view her as a source of support, asking her how to deal with school and she had a great way of calming others down, which led me to rate her highly on both extraversion and agreeableness. She talked people through their problems with great compassion and a much more positive attitude than she had toward herself. In terms of openness to experience, I found it difficult to rate her, as she was more concerned with helping others than talking about herself.

Since this disorder is characterized by difficulties in social communication and interpersonal interaction, I think that the aspects of the CMC environment that one may consider limiting such as the lack of visual cues are what make these chat rooms so advantageous for people with Asperger’s syndrome. In a face to face interpersonal exchange, one would probably be unable to see this woman’s true personality. Online space, however, without that face to face interaction, allows her to express herself fully, with the various processes of the hyperpersonal model, that led me to rate her more intensely on the five big personality traits than I would have been able to in person.

My experience definitely followed the hyperpersonal model on most aspects, specifically in the way that the different processes of the model lead into one another. Although this woman did not seem to be holding back any specific information about her, it was clear that she wanted to present herself as intelligent and warm because she felt she was unattractive in a face-to-face setting. As a result of her selective self-presentation, others tended to over-attribute her intelligence and ability to help them with their problems, as more and more people began directing questions about their lives toward her, making comments like, “Lisa1436 is nice.” As a result of behavioral confirmation, she will present herself even further as this type of helpful, maternal woman.