The Spectrum

In the video link below there is a fictional clip of SPD someone crafted to make an educational point. It's around 8 minutes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=797yHq1CtPQ&t=11s

I hope it's not TL;DWatch.

I was wondering if this character is way into the deeper side of it, or even at the extreme end. He's definitely beyond mask wearing.

Would you consider the presentation of SPD here moderate, or extreme and uncommon?

I actually think it doesn't have much to do with SPD at all. It's not an accurate presentation in my view. I don't know what else to say about it.

But that's just an actor playing a role, reciting scripted dialogue.

He was much more convincing when he played a psychopath.

Some of the other videos on that page, with real schizoids (I assume...?) describing their experience are far more helpful. Much less glamorous, but more accurate in my opinion.

I don't like that example because it has nothing to do with SPD. That is a portrayal of an English butler who takes pride in his work.

I don't know if I'd be able to point out someone with SPD. There is nothing I have seen in the diagnostic criteria that makes it clear. A lot of people may appear aloof for various reasons. Some of those videos have people describing what it's like but can you really tell they have SPD?

Some of the video comments given there align with their version of what they have, as they have it, apparently, hence why I posted.

Going strictly by the video no one would have guessed he had a disorder, and I might have thought maybe a little obsessive compulsive and rigid, if I would have thought anything at all about it.

What I was after is what does severe SPD look like as a generalization? If someone was employed in that scenario as a butler who had SPD, what difference would there be between one who was moderate, to the severe end?

My idea is you wouldn't see him at all if he could help it, being on the severe end of it. I.e., a night watchman, etc.

EasyasPi wrote:Going strictly by the video no one would have guessed he had a disorder

I think it's glaringly obvious he has ''a disorder'', just not SPD.

EasyasPi wrote:Some of the video comments given there align with their version of what they have, as they have it, apparently, hence why I posted.

The guy portrayed in the video is socially inept to the extreme. In no way, I can imagine such a deep social ineptitude as being characteristic of a schizoid personality. It's actually more likely to be the contrary. Due to little experience with social interaction and some information processing differences as well maybe, I can imagine schizoids having poor social skills or in other ways being somewhat odd socially, but otherwise, one should look into diagnoses other than SPD and stop fueling the already existing confusement around the concept of schizoid personality. It is among the most sophisticated concepts in psychology with many less tangible features of fundamental nature and advanced conceptual level as well as hardly possible to put into language, therefore being very prone to misunderstanding and miscommunication. So, what it definitely doesn't need is those hords of people trying to mould and distort it in a way to fit it against all knowledge 'cause it seems cool or whatever. I can't help but to disdain such people, because it only makes it harder to me to find understanding from people, and in a world, I'm already feeling profoundly detached from, strengthening my pervasive sense of cosmic aloneness and making me feel like screaming in a vacuum in desperate attempts to keep in touch with the outside world even just for that tiny little bit hopefully being enough to hold on to in order to keep my sanity.

EasyasPi wrote:What I was after is what does severe SPD look like as a generalization? If someone was employed in that scenario as a butler who had SPD, what difference would there be between one who was moderate, to the severe end?

Who cares what moderate or severe SPD looks like? That way, you're reducing it all to mere observable behavior, while it has its phenomenology and experiential nature in much more fundamental, e.g. existential, aspects hardly if not impossible to grasp from behavior. Schizoid personality disorder has its true meaning in experience rather than behavior. Hence why descriptions derived from observable behavior alone, such as in DSM-5 or ICD-10, turn out to be useless in any serious attempt towards understanding.

The movie character seems more OCPD to me.

Thanks for the reply ZO.

It's a touchy subject I know and i was hesitant to post it knowing the possible reactions to it. I always wonder and worry when the welcome mat is worn out. It happens sooner or later.

What I'm trying to understand myself is how is there actually is a spectrum to it? Everything in life has one. Internal experience always translates into a behavior or lack of it.

There are secret schizoids who could never be detected and even enter into a relationship such as marriage, albeit with problems, and those who cannot even enter into a relationship.

The segue is, externally it appears like a "something." If you took a group of people with IQs of average, and IQs , say 130, the internal processes translate into a different behavior. One has a tendency to move into academic interests and the other is blue collar. One "reads" heavily the other shows a lack of general interest in it.

My guess is that the spectrum would be more interaction ↔ to less, but if forced to interact for the ones deeper into the spectrum, you'd see more energy depletion.

Is the 'spectrum" really fueled by "energy," all by itself? And competency is more or less the same?

EasyasPi wrote:Some of the video comments given there align with their version of what they have, as they have it, apparently, hence why I posted.

Going strictly by the video no one would have guessed he had a disorder, and I might have thought maybe a little obsessive compulsive and rigid, if I would have thought anything at all about it.

What I was after is what does severe SPD look like as a generalization? If someone was employed in that scenario as a butler who had SPD, what difference would there be between one who was moderate, to the severe end?

My idea is you wouldn't see him at all if he could help it, being on the severe end of it. I.e., a night watchman, etc.

Agreed. Though I think like ZonedOut posted that he has one, but not SPD.

EasyasPi wrote:What I'm trying to understand myself is how is there actually is a spectrum to it? Everything in life has one. Internal experience always translates into a behavior or lack of it.

I think of it more like branches of a mental health family tree so to speak. For me SPD + BP1 branch off and make a robot with an overpowered or undercharged battery that occasionally gets it system corrupted by delusions.

There are secret schizoids who could never be detected and even enter into a relationship such as marriage, albeit with problems, and those who cannot even enter into a relationship.

Hah no I've been told many times to my face that I don't act quite right. I get out and do things simply because I'm too bored combined with having too much energy to sit still.

Is the 'spectrum" really fueled by "energy," all by itself? And competency is more or less the same?

For myself, I'd say yes.

Don't worry. The welcome mat isn't worn out yet, if you ask me. But what I'm trying to say is that I think you tend to oversimplify things in your undoubtly well-meant quest for understanding. There isn't a one-on-one relationship between internal experience and behavior, nor do I believe that the severity of one's schizoidness can be measured by the amount of social interaction. That would be oversimplification taken to outright absurd levels (but sadly not even uncommon in mainstream psychiatry). Of course, there may be a correlation, but there is so much more going on inside, in one's private experience hidden from the outside observer, and ultimately in one's sense of being in itself.