A fine line between genius and madness.

[janlyn]

I have been pondering what made the Connecticut shooter do what he did. Being an autistic person myself is probably why it has been on my mind.
I certainly made the connection early on that people with high IQ's also tend toward obsessive compulsive behavior as well as autistic like behavior.
It is said that Edison and Einstein as well as other high IQ individuals have displayed that type of behavior.
But what kept sticking with me is what was missing in him that led to what he did.certainly NOT his autism!! Autistic people don't lack empathy,we are just socially clueless.putting our foot in our mouths is an everyday occurrence

But then I remembered a passage from a book I read in elementary school.Flowers for Algernon.

" Intelligence without the ability to give and receive affection leads to mental and moral break-down, to neurosis, and possibly even psychosis. And I say that the mind absorbed in and of itself as a self centered end,to the exclusion of human relationships,can only lead to violence and pain."

So just pondering...in my usual autistic fashion.

[Taverner]

1. That quote....excellent...

Now I'm gonna have to reread that book

[peacebird]

2. Interesting, and the quote is spot on I think. Is that not also definition of a sociopath?

Lack of empathy, kind of same as inability to give or receive affection...

[NoOneMan]

3. What if near everyone suffers from psychosis

And that it is rather that high IQ individuals or those who do not think conventionally operate outside the bounds of what the collective psychosis permits, often resulting in conflict.

[Marcia Brady]

4. It's possible that he had schizophrenia

totally unrelated to his Asperger's/autism. We may never know what caused his to do this.