Wanting to be accepted by ones peers is not a new phenomenon. Nor is the act of presenting one's best self to others in order to win popularity or acceptance. It's an extremely human trait. Everyone does it. We are all taught to do this even as children. Yet despite this fact, there's only one section of the population being singled out and pathologized for applying the exact same "coping mechanisms" that everyone else uses. My question is why? Why don't we say that everyone is 'masking' themselves if that's what presenting one's best self boils down too? I mean really, it is something that everyone does. So why are females with Autism being singled out for presenting their best selves to others when everyone else does the exact same thing, only better most of the time? When someone can tell me why an action that is considered merely an artifact of human nature when it is observed in other people, is considered as 'masking' when observed in Autistic women, then I'll be satisfied, until then, I'll keep asking the same question.
-Mae Seventh Voice
No comments:
Post a Comment