Steve Jobs and Autism: Has Anyone Else Noticed?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the speculation regarding Steve Jobs and potential autism, particularly focusing on his behavior and personality traits. Participants explore the implications of autism in relation to Jobs' character, his treatment choices during illness, and the broader cultural tendency to diagnose historical figures with autism based on limited evidence.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants question the appropriateness of labeling Jobs as having autism based on his behavior, suggesting that such a diagnosis lacks substantial evidence.
  • Others argue that the characterization of people with autism as lacking empathy is misleading and does not accurately reflect individual experiences.
  • There is mention of Jobs' unconventional choices regarding his cancer treatment, with some participants discussing the implications of these choices on his health outcomes.
  • Several participants express skepticism about the tendency to diagnose famous individuals with autism without expert evaluation, highlighting the risks of non-expert diagnoses.
  • One participant shares a personal account of a family member with Asperger Syndrome, emphasizing that individuals on the spectrum can exhibit empathy and concern for others.
  • Concerns are raised about the influence of popular culture on the perception of autism and the potential for confirmation bias in diagnosing historical figures.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the appropriateness of diagnosing Steve Jobs with autism. There are competing views on the implications of autism and the validity of popular diagnoses, leading to an unresolved discussion.

Contextual Notes

Some claims about autism and empathy, as well as the effects of Jobs' treatment choices, are based on anecdotal evidence or popular beliefs rather than established medical consensus. The discussion reflects a range of personal experiences and interpretations of autism.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to individuals exploring the intersection of autism and personality traits, those examining cultural perceptions of autism, and readers interested in the complexities of diagnosing historical figures.

fourier jr
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Hasn't anyone else thought of this? Apparently he was a notorious jerk to the people who worked with/for him and he seemed to be good at designing electronics, so where are the news stories about Jobs having autism? Has anyone else noticed that?
 
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Maybe they were foolish enough to use other criteria than what you posted?
 
From the book out about him, he was a very strange person. He evaded paying taxes on his car by refusing to get license plates, he used a loophole in California law that allowed a person 6 months to get their plates by having his leasing company change his car right before he'd have to pay.

Apparently it was his reufusal to get immediate treatment for his cancer (which was curable when found) and instead went for holistic treatment for nine months, by then it was too late when he decided he'd have to go the conventional route.

And he parks in handicapped spaces. Nice guy. :rolleyes:

I doubt that autism would make him so nasty. Why would you come up with that?

http://money.cnn.com/2008/03/02/news/companies/elkind_jobs.fortune/index.htm
 
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fourier jr said:
Hasn't anyone else thought of this? Apparently he was a notorious jerk to the people who worked with/for him and he seemed to be good at designing electronics, so where are the news stories about Jobs having autism? Has anyone else noticed that?
People with autism are notorious jerks?
 
Jimmy Snyder said:
People with autism are notorious jerks?
He apparently doesn't know what autism is.
 
fourier jr said:
Hasn't anyone else thought of this? Apparently he was a notorious jerk to the people who worked with/for him and he seemed to be good at designing electronics, so where are the news stories about Jobs having autism? Has anyone else noticed that?

Are you mocking an apparent eagerness on some people's part to diagnose famous people with Asperger's on scant evidence?
 
Jimmy Snyder said:
People with autism are notorious jerks?

pardon me, maybe I should have said "lack of empathy" or something, since that's the specific phrase that's usually used to describe people with autism or assburgers.

zoobyshoe said:
Are you mocking an apparent eagerness on some people's part to diagnose famous people with Asperger's on scant evidence?

I guess you could say that, but I'm not so sure that's it's merely "apparent". But why not? Einstein, Newton, probably Tesla... why not Steve Jobs too?
 
Evo said:
Apparently it was his reufusal to get immediate treatment for his cancer (which was curable when found) and instead went for holistic treatment for nine months, by then it was too late when he decided he'd have to go the conventional route.

I don't think that's technically true. PZ Myers has http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2011/10/what_killed_steve_jobs.php" , there's no strong reason to think that if he had had the surgery immediately it would have increased the likelihood of survival.

EDIT: That's not to say that it wasn't a stupid thing to do (it was) but there is a bit of a rumour/myth going round that he killed himself by not having surgery straight away but I don't think this is technically true.
 
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Ryan_m_b said:
I don't think that's technically true. PZ Myers has http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2011/10/what_killed_steve_jobs.php" , there's no strong reason to think that if he had had the surgery immediately it would have increased the likelihood of survival.

EDIT: That's not to say that it wasn't a stupid thing to do (it was) but there is a bit of a rumour/myth going round that he killed himself by not having surgery straight away but I don't think this is technically true.
Actually, there is reason to believe his delay is responsible for the course his cancer took, you just can't say it's 100% There is a lengthy article on it that was posted in the other Jobs' thread.
 
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  • #10
Evo said:
Actually, there is reason to believe his delay is responsible for the course his cancer took, you just can't say it's 100% There is a lengthy article on it that was posted in the other Jobs' thread.

Yeah that's what I was trying (and maybe failing) to say. The problem is that after his death loads of blogs and other sites started claiming that there is a huge body of evidence that shows that if he hadn't of done that he would have been absolutely fine.
 
  • #11
fourier jr said:
assburgers.

Seriously?
 
  • #12
fourier jr said:
pardon me, maybe I should have said "lack of empathy" or something, since that's the specific phrase that's usually used to describe people with autism or assburgers.
That certainly sounds better, but this folk diagnosis is still incorrect. Here are the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria. http://www.autreat.com/dsm4-autism.html"

Here is what I think you are saying, correct me if I'm wrong.

Many people have been diagnosed in the popular culture as being autistic even though no neurologist has made a real diagnosis. Why hasn't this been done to Steve Jobs?

Is that what you meant?
 
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  • #13
Jimmy Snyder said:
Many people have been diagnosed in the popular culture as being autistic even though no neurologist has made a real diagnosis. Why hasn't this been done to Steve Jobs?

You've got to love non-expert diagnosis of never met people over the internet.
 
  • #14
My brother as Asperger Syndrome and he's an incredibly emphatic guy. He may not be able to read facial cues very well, but he's always concerned about the people around him. Not to mention he'd do anything to help out (as long as it doesn't involve math... he hates math).
 
  • #15
fourier jr said:
I guess you could say that, but I'm not so sure that's it's merely "apparent". But why not? Einstein, Newton, probably Tesla... why not Steve Jobs too?
I think what fuels the spread of those unfortunate misdiagnoses is the fact it makes the parents of kids with Asperger's feel better about the diagnosis. I most often hear that stuff repeated in books with titles like: Autism-A Manual For Parents, and How to Raise Your Aspie. Stuff like that.

People who take comfort from that kind of thing would be happy to have Steve Jobs included in such a list, so you probably shouldn't have mentioned it. The wheels of confirmation bias are probably already turning now.
 
  • #16
FlexGunship said:
My brother as Asperger Syndrome and he's an incredibly emphatic guy. He may not be able to read facial cues very well, but he's always concerned about the people around him. Not to mention he'd do anything to help out (as long as it doesn't involve math... he hates math).
People with Asperger's don't lack empathy. They are said to lack Theory of Mind (which you can google) which causes them to sometimes say inappropriate things. Sometimes saying something inappropriate can give the impression of being a jerk, i.e. when the naivete is misinterpreted as being a deliberate attempt to make someone feel uncomfortable.
 
  • #17
I've often thought I might have a touch of either. Don't want to be tested, though. Doing just fine as it is. I think many folks on the edge of success aren't quite like the rest of us. Something there? Hmm...
 

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