Attention Tunneling w/ Fergus Murray

Could the theory of monotropism help explain ADHD? What about executive dysfunction, or my Bipolar 2 misdiagnosis, or OCD? Can you trick yourself into a flow state? Is rumination just flow, but evil?? All this and more in conversation with writer, science educator, and chair of the Autistic Mutual Aid Society Edinburgh, Fergus Murray!

📝📝Transcript

Links:

* Monotropism.org

* Fergus’ website

* Weird Pride Day

* Attention, Monotropism, and the Diagnostic Criteria for Autism, Murray et al 2005

* Monotropism Questionnaire pre-print

* you can also take the Monotropism Questionnaire for funsies here

* Monotropism and Well-being, Fergus’ 2023 talk at the Scottish Autism Research Group Conference

* Me complaining about the capitalist propaganda in Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience

* Towards autistic flow theory: A non-pathologising conceptual approach, 2024

* Loops of Concern by Sonny Hallett

* ‘Autism is the Arena and OCD is the Lion’: Autistic adults’ experiences of co-occurring obsessive-compulsive disorder and repetitive restricted behaviours and interests

00:00 Intro / Monotropism vs Polytropism

03:26 The Monotropism Questionnaire

05:43 On Being a ‘Serial Monotropist’

10:48 ADHD and Monotropism

15:00 Monotropism vs Executive Dysfunction

18:11 On Autistic Flow Theory

24:51 ‘Tunnels not Tasks’

27:36 Intersubjective Flow (Flowing Together)

28:56 The Light and Dark Side of Flow

32:46 Autism and Chronic Illness

35:23 Monotropism and OCD

39:12 Weird Pride

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