Published on 12, July, 2020
Since joining this Community last year, I have seen many a mention of 'seeing things in black and white' and 'black and white thinking'.
I would like to be corrected if I am wrong, but my understanding of this is that it means a person will perceive something to be either this or that, but cannot possibly be both things at the same time. For example, that a person may believe one can feel sadness or happiness, but not both things at the same time.
Have I got this right?
I ask because I have always thought I had the ability to see the shades of grey. Admittedly, not all the time, but certainly sometimes. However, now I find myself wondering if I know myself as well as I thought I did.
If my understanding of what seeing things in black and white means is wrong, I would be grateful if it could be explained to me in simple terms.
I think it's another area where autism is a spectrum and no one has all the traits. I think I'm pretty good at seeing complexity in ideas, politics, religion and so on, and also realising that most people are not "good" or "bad" but a mixture. However, when it comes to looking at events in my past or my thoughts about the future, I do very much see them as all good or all bad with little nuance, at least unless I force myself to be more realistic.
Thank you Luftmentsch. This has helped to reassure me greatly. I know that some of my traits are mild, so perhaps this explains why I feel I am sometimes able to see the shades of grey.