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I don't fully agree with what you are saying. Many autistic people are hyper-vigilant towards societal norms, and are ultra-compliant. I think that there are very few people, autistic or allistic. who choose authenticity over 'fitting in', that is if they have the ability to modify their behaviour. Authenticity might be an aspiration, but it is not a reality for most.

Martin,

I’m not after an argument, I just want you to know I’m not the only one who’s proposed this theory.

link.springer.com/.../s11019-019-09909-3

If you propose a theory you have to be prepared to defend it, that is how science, including psychology, works. Though this is probably more philosophically based.

Humans live in societies, and if anyone wants to thrive in a society they have to adhere to societal norms, which are obviously created by those in the majority. While autonomy should be a goal for everyone, all people are forced by the pressures of society into behaving in non-authentic ways. If everyone behaved authentically, just like if everyone was entirely truthful, then society would break down into chaos.

It's sad you can't see how society is influencing your choices, it's Operant Conditioning, A > B > C.

Antecedent, Behaviour, Consequence

What makes you want to mask? You've confessed to meet societal standards and what you see as success (extrinsic motivators), the society's expectations make you mask which is the society influencing your choice to mask. All choices come from within, that doesn't mean you chose through intrinsic motivation. 

Why are you changing the subject?

You don't know Pavlov did Classical Conditioning. 

You don't know B. F. Skinner did Operant Conditioning. 

You don't seem to know there's synapses in the nervous system that is the body's main communicater, including communicating with the brain through the spinal chord.

This is not about dementia or alzheimer's disease and you still haven't defined the behaviours, achievement, and appearance of your normal human.

Just to correct you, a synapse is not a connection between neurons, the synapse is a small gap in between neurons, there's receptors on the dendrites of the next neuron and they will only receive some of the neurotransmitters released from the vesicles of the prior neuron. The neurotransmitters that are not received will be relay neurons and some neurotransmitters are inhibitory and others excitatory.

The brain is not in essence self, you're very deterministic and reductionist claiming we have no free will and say the opposite in the same response. You're clearly mixing things up as you didn't even know what a synapse is. The human is not so elementary as you're describing it.

Self is developmental, if the brain was in essence self you would never stop changing, you would be a different self day after day as cell's in the brain die and new cells generate. Personality is not genetic, we create our personality which is why we can change at our own choice, freedom of choice is involved with personality, freedom of choice is something science can't explain. You're doing scientism once again, science cannot explain personality as it is subjective, which is why the humanistic approach in psychology is not considered scientific.

You've made science fictional claims on every one of your responses, you have a great love for scientism, your science fictional claims, errors, and scientism don't refute anything. It's all your scientism that is not at all useful, for the note, you didn't even know what scientism is. 

Daniel said:

There is no difference between the authentic autistic self and authentic allistic self, it's to do with variation in neurocognitive functioning, I assume you know an autistic person's brain functions differently to a nonautistic brain. 

The self is shaped by genetic, psychological and cultural factors. But it is synapses, the connections between neurons in the brain, where our selves are stored. Damage to the brain, or dementia alters brain function and behaviour and alters the self. Anyone who has known a person with Alzheimer's realises that with brain impairment there is concomitant degradation of personality - in other words, 'self'.  

So in essence, brain = self. Therefore autistic and allistics selves are different and your hypothesis is not all that useful.

Daniel said:

You are against your own definition from the dictionary of willfully. If you were doing things self-willed the society and extrinsic motivators would have no influence on your choices.

No! The choice is is internal, I can choose to camouflage and be successful, or I can choose to be overtly autistic, and, sadly, be less successful. The choice is entirely mine, there is no extrinsic influence from society on my choice. In essence, it is a choice between short-term comfort, through being overtly autistic, and long term goals, only achievable through camouflaging. 

There is no difference between the authentic autistic self and authentic allistic self, it's to do with variation in neurocognitive functioning, I assume you know an autistic person's brain functions differently to a nonautistic brain. 

You are against your own definition from the dictionary of willfully. If you were doing things self-willed the society and extrinsic motivators would have no influence on your choices. Where you've brought up things like careers, you changing to that state is not self-willed as it is not determined by you, your behaviour is determined by society making your masking society-willed. Masking is also reductionism as it limits your behaviour, and self-willed people don't have their behaviour limited by social demands and pressure. 

You still avoid answering my question! Is there a difference between the 'autistic authentic self' and the 'allistic authentic self'?! If there is, your hypothesis is not useful,

Daniel said:

ou've just confessed I'm correct that you don't willfully mask, if you masked through intrinsic motivation it would not come at a cost nor involve anything external. Instrisic motivation is made out of autonomy, belonging, and competence. You're destroying autonomy by masking. 

You need to define your use of the word 'willfully', because it does not coincide with mine. Mine, which coincides with dictionary definitions, is: "Obstinately and often perversely self-willed".

You still avoid answering my question! Is there a difference between the 'autistic authentic self' and the 'allistic authentic self'?! If there is, your hypothesis is not useful,

Daniel said:

ou've just confessed I'm correct that you don't willfully mask, if you masked through intrinsic motivation it would not come at a cost nor involve anything external. Instrisic motivation is made out of autonomy, belonging, and competence. You're destroying autonomy by masking. 

You need to define your use of the word 'willfully', because it does not coincide with mine. Mine, which coincides with dictionary definitions, is: "Obstinately and often perversely self-willed".

It's sad you can't see how society is influencing your choices, it's Operant Conditioning, A > B > C.

Antecedent, Behaviour, Consequence

What makes you want to mask? You've confessed to meet societal standards and what you see as success (extrinsic motivators), the society's expectations make you mask which is the society influencing your choice to mask. All choices come from within, that doesn't mean you chose through intrinsic motivation. 

Why are you changing the subject?

You don't know Pavlov did Classical Conditioning. 

You don't know B. F. Skinner did Operant Conditioning. 

You don't seem to know there's synapses in the nervous system that is the body's main communicater, including communicating with the brain through the spinal chord.

This is not about dementia or alzheimer's disease and you still haven't defined the behaviours, achievement, and appearance of your normal human.

Just to correct you, a synapse is not a connection between neurons, the synapse is a small gap in between neurons, there's receptors on the dendrites of the next neuron and they will only receive some of the neurotransmitters released from the vesicles of the prior neuron. The neurotransmitters that are not received will be relay neurons and some neurotransmitters are inhibitory and others excitatory.

The brain is not in essence self, you're very deterministic and reductionist claiming we have no free will and say the opposite in the same response. You're clearly mixing things up as you didn't even know what a synapse is. The human is not so elementary as you're describing it.

Self is developmental, if the brain was in essence self you would never stop changing, you would be a different self day after day as cell's in the brain die and new cells generate. Personality is not genetic, we create our personality which is why we can change at our own choice, freedom of choice is involved with personality, freedom of choice is something science can't explain. You're doing scientism once again, science cannot explain personality as it is subjective, which is why the humanistic approach in psychology is not considered scientific.

You've made science fictional claims on every one of your responses, you have a great love for scientism, your science fictional claims, errors, and scientism don't refute anything. It's all your scientism that is not at all useful, for the note, you didn't even know what scientism is. 

Daniel said:

There is no difference between the authentic autistic self and authentic allistic self, it's to do with variation in neurocognitive functioning, I assume you know an autistic person's brain functions differently to a nonautistic brain. 

The self is shaped by genetic, psychological and cultural factors. But it is synapses, the connections between neurons in the brain, where our selves are stored. Damage to the brain, or dementia alters brain function and behaviour and alters the self. Anyone who has known a person with Alzheimer's realises that with brain impairment there is concomitant degradation of personality - in other words, 'self'.  

So in essence, brain = self. Therefore autistic and allistics selves are different and your hypothesis is not all that useful.

Daniel said:

You are against your own definition from the dictionary of willfully. If you were doing things self-willed the society and extrinsic motivators would have no influence on your choices.

No! The choice is is internal, I can choose to camouflage and be successful, or I can choose to be overtly autistic, and, sadly, be less successful. The choice is entirely mine, there is no extrinsic influence from society on my choice. In essence, it is a choice between short-term comfort, through being overtly autistic, and long term goals, only achievable through camouflaging. 

There is no difference between the authentic autistic self and authentic allistic self, it's to do with variation in neurocognitive functioning, I assume you know an autistic person's brain functions differently to a nonautistic brain. 

You are against your own definition from the dictionary of willfully. If you were doing things self-willed the society and extrinsic motivators would have no influence on your choices. Where you've brought up things like careers, you changing to that state is not self-willed as it is not determined by you, your behaviour is determined by society making your masking society-willed. Masking is also reductionism as it limits your behaviour, and self-willed people don't have their behaviour limited by social demands and pressure.