I recall there are a few studies that look at trauma and immigration to the US. Both before and after. I don’t know if there are any correlations between trauma and the spectrums of autism and ADHD. So your speculations about this is fascinating!
I have been trying to wrap my mind around Haslanger’s work on intersectionality and social techne. Being self-taught (i know - cringe, the worst kind) in whatever philosophy i can claim, i find the incredibly vast interrelationships between politics, philosophy, social sciences, psychology, anthropology, physics, technology and so much more very daunting!
Thank god i am not relying on getting published and living up to rigorous academic expectations. It is hard enough to attempt to articulate my thoughts without interdisciplinary jargon!
It's 100% true that all of these things are interrelated--and we can throw in broader liberal arts subjects too. It's a lot of fun, but yes, very daunting, and I can only get my head around small slices of the picture at a time. But this is why I've turned to writing on Substack rather than trying to do academic publishing. It's a much freer way of thinking things out.
Frankly, my knowledge of this is that of a non-professional as well and is mainly based on me reading some literature to help me better understand people with autism in my life and my close interactions with them. It can actually get complicated as some people with autism may actually have ADHD and may get meltdowns that would count as emotional instability. Perhaps, a more accurate description of the spectrum I was talking about would be narrow emotional spectrum/low emotional intelligence/ lack of interest in social interactions on one extreme (autism spectrum like in some ways) and wide emotional spectrum/high emotional intelligence/very strong interest in social interactions on the other (wide emotional spectrum tends to be associated with emotional lability and ADHD). Somehow reading and thinking about philosophy often makes me think about emotions/affects. I bet this is due to me reading Spinoza too much as this was a great concern of his. In any case, thank you for another fantastic thought provoking essay!
This essay made me think once again about this spectrum between autism spectrum on one extreme and ADHD/emotional instability on the other. People who are closer to the autism spectrum seem to be more individualistic and perhaps less interested in forming close relationships with other people. Others, who are on the other side of the spectrum, tend to be more emotional and empathetic and seek out other people for mutual support. The United States as a country was founded primarily on individualistic values. This is just a big speculation, but perhaps people who tended to emigrate to the US were closer to the autism spectrum: more individualistic and perhaps less overtly emotional. They might have had less difficulty leaving their communities back in Europe, as they perhaps did not have sufficiently close bonds to people at home. Also, one needed to be emotionally resilient to survive in the New World, full of unknown dangers, and capable of standing up for oneself, often with only a revolver as protection. People who are individualistic pass on their genes to their offspring, and may raise their kids to be individualistic as well. Perhaps this is why life in Europe tends to be more relational and community-based, with higher taxation and better safety nets, when compared to the United States. Perhaps this contrast between relational and individualistic tendencies comes down to our personalities, shaped mostly by nature but also by nurture.
I'd be interested to know if there's any research about significant emotional or psychological patterns across collections of people that leave their country and start over in a foreign culture. One would, of course, need a way to control for the major difference of those who don't really have a real choice (due to existential threats in home country, or they are dependent spouse/children, etc) vs those seeking opportunities, adventure, or the like.
I recall there are a few studies that look at trauma and immigration to the US. Both before and after. I don’t know if there are any correlations between trauma and the spectrums of autism and ADHD. So your speculations about this is fascinating!
I have been trying to wrap my mind around Haslanger’s work on intersectionality and social techne. Being self-taught (i know - cringe, the worst kind) in whatever philosophy i can claim, i find the incredibly vast interrelationships between politics, philosophy, social sciences, psychology, anthropology, physics, technology and so much more very daunting!
Thank god i am not relying on getting published and living up to rigorous academic expectations. It is hard enough to attempt to articulate my thoughts without interdisciplinary jargon!
It's 100% true that all of these things are interrelated--and we can throw in broader liberal arts subjects too. It's a lot of fun, but yes, very daunting, and I can only get my head around small slices of the picture at a time. But this is why I've turned to writing on Substack rather than trying to do academic publishing. It's a much freer way of thinking things out.
My sister has wondered about this too. I don't know enough psychology or genetics to say. It seems plausible, though, the way you've told the story.
Frankly, my knowledge of this is that of a non-professional as well and is mainly based on me reading some literature to help me better understand people with autism in my life and my close interactions with them. It can actually get complicated as some people with autism may actually have ADHD and may get meltdowns that would count as emotional instability. Perhaps, a more accurate description of the spectrum I was talking about would be narrow emotional spectrum/low emotional intelligence/ lack of interest in social interactions on one extreme (autism spectrum like in some ways) and wide emotional spectrum/high emotional intelligence/very strong interest in social interactions on the other (wide emotional spectrum tends to be associated with emotional lability and ADHD). Somehow reading and thinking about philosophy often makes me think about emotions/affects. I bet this is due to me reading Spinoza too much as this was a great concern of his. In any case, thank you for another fantastic thought provoking essay!
This essay made me think once again about this spectrum between autism spectrum on one extreme and ADHD/emotional instability on the other. People who are closer to the autism spectrum seem to be more individualistic and perhaps less interested in forming close relationships with other people. Others, who are on the other side of the spectrum, tend to be more emotional and empathetic and seek out other people for mutual support. The United States as a country was founded primarily on individualistic values. This is just a big speculation, but perhaps people who tended to emigrate to the US were closer to the autism spectrum: more individualistic and perhaps less overtly emotional. They might have had less difficulty leaving their communities back in Europe, as they perhaps did not have sufficiently close bonds to people at home. Also, one needed to be emotionally resilient to survive in the New World, full of unknown dangers, and capable of standing up for oneself, often with only a revolver as protection. People who are individualistic pass on their genes to their offspring, and may raise their kids to be individualistic as well. Perhaps this is why life in Europe tends to be more relational and community-based, with higher taxation and better safety nets, when compared to the United States. Perhaps this contrast between relational and individualistic tendencies comes down to our personalities, shaped mostly by nature but also by nurture.
I'd be interested to know if there's any research about significant emotional or psychological patterns across collections of people that leave their country and start over in a foreign culture. One would, of course, need a way to control for the major difference of those who don't really have a real choice (due to existential threats in home country, or they are dependent spouse/children, etc) vs those seeking opportunities, adventure, or the like.
Yes, that would be interesting!