o_19kdfsn0q18e31dfraas1esh19vta.pdf

The symptoms he assessed were as follows:
For well-developed types:
A preference for being alone; leading a solitary lifestyle; “spacing out (involuntarily);” “shutting
out, blocking (deliberately);” having a hyperaroused nervous system; being unaware of the outside
world; communicating in an associative manner; thinking in an associative manner; proceeding
from specifics to generalities; thinking in pictures; lack of social skills; a limited choice of careers;
“relentless reading;” perseveration; and immaturity.
For poorly developed types:
Anger and regret; low self esteem; rigidity; relying too much on logic; confusion of Feeling
judgment and emotion; and talking too much.
For most (but not all) of the symptoms listed for well-developed types, Chester found intriguing
similarities between common ITP type-based behaviors and “abnormal” characteristics that have
been explained as symptoms of Asperger's. In fact, many type-explained behaviors and Asperger'sexplained
behaviors were almost identical. He also found evidence that poor ITP type development
could be indicated in some cases.
Now, INTPs and INTJs have quite a bit in common, or so I judge by the fact that I ended up
copying huge swaths of The Secret Lives of INTPs directly into The Secret Lives of INTJs. Right
away we see traits in Chester's list that could apply to INTJs as well as INTPs: a preference for
being alone; leading a solitary lifestyle; “spacing out (involuntarily);” “shutting out, blocking
(deliberately);” having a hyperaroused nervous system; being unaware of the outside world;
communicating in an associative manner; thinking in an associative manner; “relentless reading;”
and perseveration.
But there is another interesting angle here. Chester, alluding to the pathological bias in psychology,
discusses the fact that certain notable people who have retroactively diagnosed as having Asperger's
were not exactly disabled by said disorder. For instance, Bill Gates, one of the richest men in the
world; Thomas Jefferson, a U.S. President; and Isaac Newton and Einstein, revolutionary scientists.
As Chester notes, "According to Keirsey (2003), Jefferson and Einstein had type preferences of
INTP. Newton preferred INTJ, and Bill Gates prefers ENTJ. Is it purely by coincidence that two of
the four men share the same type and all four share a temperament?"
I very much doubt it is a coincidence. If you dig into the literature, there are many ordinary NT
traits (and more particularly INT traits) described in Asperger's articles, books, websites, etc. Not
that all people with Asperger's are INTs, but there are definitely some strong parallels. Isn't it
interesting that there is a high concentration of Aspies around Silicon Valley, the Land of the
Computer-Obsessed Rationals?
Chester concluded that “Asperger's Syndrome...seems indistinguishable from certain of the
Jungian/Myers-Briggs personality types” and added that “it is sometimes difficult to tell whether a
person's behavior represents a type characteristic or a symptom of the disorder.” Significantly, he
concluded, “In no case did I find that the type preferences of people diagnosed with Asperger's
Syndrome were understood or encouraged.”
Chester suggests that Asperger's may in some ways be a Pygmalion project. He examined the
reactions and thought processes of four mothers of sons with Asperger's syndrome as described in
works of literature. Their behaviors seemed to indicate that the mothers had ENFJ or ESFJ
preferences. Two of the mothers appeared to be carrying on Pygmalion projects, and there were
hints indicating that the other two might also be doing so.