Autism and the Five-Factor Model: Openness

As I mentioned in my previous blog post, the five-factor theory suggests that we humans have more or less of five personality traits, including openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. A good mnemonic device is the word OCEAN, which stands for Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism. As I wrote, not all autistic people are necessarily closed off, conscientious, introverted, disagreeable, and neurotic contrary to what many people believe. Those of us on the spectrum can have very different personalities!

The Post is About Openness

Today, I’m going to write in more detail about the first personality trait in the five-factor model, namely openness! Psychologist researcher Nigel Holt and his colleagues have written a very thick and extensive book titled Psychology: The Science of Mind and Behaviour. In the book, the authors have dedicated an entire chapter to personality psychology, where they discuss the five-factor model, which is currently well-supported by research.

Wants to Experience New Things

So, what is a person with a high degree of openness like? Well, such a person wants to experience new things, places, and people, and enjoys exploring new ideas rather than doing things the way they always have. An open person often has a rich imagination, is good at switching between perspectives, and is easily engaged in, for example, artistic expressions or new thoughts. People with a high degree of openness are very curious about life and have broad interests.

Lives Up to the Stereotype

The common perception of autism is that autistic people don’t typically exhibit a high degree of openness, and in this case, I definitely live up to the stereotype! I’m not artistic – in fact, I don’t care about art at all. That’s probably why I also don’t like flowers and am very uninterested in interior design. I don’t have a rich imagination either, although that might depend on what kind of imagination you mean. People sometimes assume that just because I’m an author, I must have a rich imagination, but the thing is, I’ve only written an autobiography and a fact book. I could never write a novel!

Lacked Curiosity

In line with the autistic stereotype, I’m rarely interested in experiencing new things or visiting new places. I also only have a few special interests. I’m totally uninterested in most subjects, which made it difficult for me in school, as I was basically only interested in languages, and even within that, mostly just grammar. I couldn’t absorb knowledge about subjects like history, geography, or biology, and no teacher ever managed to spark my curiosity about these subjects. I’m only interested in how I live today, but I’m not curious about how my ancestors lived. I’m also completely uninterested in trying new dishes abroad or in Scandinavia and don’t care what people eat in different countries.

Had to Do With My Autism

I remember autism researcher Christopher Gillberg writing somewhere that a lack of curiosity can be a sign of autism, and this is definitely true in my case! I’m only curious when it comes to very few things, otherwise I’m not curious at all and definitely don’t have broad interests. And it’s difficult to get me interested in new topics. I used to spend a lot of time with a person who was very interested in the history of the Middle East and tried to engage me in the subject, but he never succeeded! 🙂 And even when he tried to tell me about it, I forgot everything almost immediately. A person with high degrees of openness could have become curious, but not me! This trait aligns with the diagnostic criterion of “limited interests and behaviours.” It simply isn’t possible to spark my interest when I’m uninterested.

Didn’t Want to See Rome

Before my diagnosis, many people around me saw me as a very open person. They were absolutely certain that I couldn’t have autism because I often tried new things and activities. I traveled a lot and was even an exchange student in Canada, an au pair in Austria, and attended language courses in several places, including Rome. But I only tried new activities because I thought that’s what was expected of me. And language is my special interest, which is why I studied in different countries. I wasn’t at all interested in traveling around these countries when I was there – I just wanted to live a routine life and do what I always did. A telling example is when I was in Rome: I didn’t see any of the sights there and declined joint excursions. All I did was go to language school during the day and then go home to the Italian woman I was staying with. I just wanted to improve my Italian, not to see Rome!

A Typical Example of Camouflaging

In other words, my surroundings perceived my behavior as age-appropriate because I traveled and did other things, and therefore concluded that I couldn’t have autism. But they were wrong: they had been fooled by the surface! Sometimes you have to scratch the surface to find the autistic traits of an autistic person. An autistic person can score very low on the personality trait of openness but still have learned that it’s important to try new activities and show curiosity and therefore behave in an expected way. But that’s a typical example of camouflaging! And Nigel Holt and his co-authors also state in their book that some people camouflage (though they don’t mention autism in this context) and adapt their behavior to the situation.

Autism Can Manifest in Different Ways

Finally, it’s important to remember that autism can manifest in very different ways. As I said, I’m anything but an open autistic person. However, another autistic person can exhibit a significantly higher degree of openness than I do while still having autism! The diagnostic criteria can be met in different ways, and some autistic people also have a very rich imagination, which is typical of people with the personality trait of openness. Tony Attwood has written in his book that some autistic people can even become successful authors thanks to their rich imagination. Of course, there are also other factors besides autism at play: for example, autistic people with co-occurring ADHD (and by that I mean the hyperactive and impulsive form of ADHD) can become very frustrated and restless if they are forced to live by routines. Therefore, it’s important to remember that you can have autism even if you score relatively high on the personality trait of openness.

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