Passion versus Reason On the Spectrum: An Aspergers Memoir

By Kevin Morgan

"To know thyself is the beginning of wisdom." — Socrates

The goal of this little book is to improve communication between people across "The Autism Spectrum." Like all spectra, it has two ends and a middle. The author, based on his research and personal experience, considers the "Passion Reason Spectrum (PRS)" a more accurate descriptor.

A pathologist by training, Dr. Morgan finds the naming of things to be of interest and importance. Pathologists specialize in the classification of health challenges. Name it a personality type or phenotype, and you'll more likely focus on finding an effective life-style and environment. The author considers this to be an essential feature of human phenotypic variation, a characteristic essential for survival of any species when they encounter major environmental upheavals.

Now in his early 80s, the author recently discovered he is "On the spectrum." Learning this explained a lot about his life, in addition to dramatically improving relationships, friends, neighbors and, more importantly, himself. Dr, Morgan prefers the term Aspergers to autism for highly functional individuals. The discovery of his personality type led to the ongoing research described in the book. Dr. Morgan, a researcher at heart, took advantage of the publicly available 50-question Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) test. The data generated by this work is provided, along with a graphical presentation of his findings and interpretation. This study provides a new way to explore at an important subject., which has serious potential social consequences.

The author describes the social challenges he faced, and the valuable social lessons he learned throughout his long career in science. For instance, he says:

"Study the values of people not like you, and allow for them during your interactions. They can be extremely sensitive to perceived slights, slights to which we may be completely blind."

"When you see someone enjoying an activity you consider trivial, don't judge them, be pleased they are having a good time, even if it's not enjoyable for you."

A fascinating journey, full of short stories about the author's life as a farm veterinarian in England, a pathologist in Switzerland, an established researcher in the USA, and finally how he found his element in the new world of "Omics," and essential nature of mathematics for our understanding of dynamic biological systems.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kevin Morgan
• Release date: Sep 19, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223598152

Kevin Morgan

Kevin Morgan is an author and entrepreneur who is also very active with many auxiliaries in his home church, including the singles ministry, where he served as its president for three years.  He holds an MBA from Indiana University, a BS from Fisk University and owns an art and framing business.  From his interactions with people and through his experiences, he has come to appreciate the unique challenges that African-American singles must deal with regularly.   Kevin resides in SC where he is currently working on his next book tentatively entitled, Songs of Singleness and plans on authoring more Christian related books.  This dynamic writer is available for speaking engagements and he welcomes your comments.  For more information, email him at: [e-mail].

Book preview

Passion versus Reason On the Spectrum

For

Jennifer

The cover image, and other images not owned by the author, plus copyrights, were purchased from ShutterStock, Inc. The cover was built by the author using Apple Pages and Adobe Photoshop (Great tools).

PASSION VERSUS REASON ON THE SPECTRUM

AN ASPERGERS MEMOIR

KEVIN THOMAS MORGAN

Vellum

ALSO BY KEVIN THOMAS MORGAN

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Aortic Disease From The Patient's Perspective

Surgery Recovery Guide

Body Meditation for Optimal Movement

Changing the Way You Move

FitOldDog’s Plantar Fasciitis Treatment

EPIGRAPH

To know thyself is the beginning of wisdom.

— Socrates

CONTENTS

Introduction

Negotiate Using Their Currency

I Know What’s Wrong With You!

Deflecting Hostile Encounters

Top of the Pops

My Veterinary Life

When Passion Trumped Reason

How Not To Be Obnoxious

I Find My Superpower

My Philosophy of Life

An Early Clue Ignored

A Mystery Explained

Research Begins

The Passion Reason Spectrum

When Reason Trumped Passion

Projection Challenges

I Learn Who My Friends Are

What’s in a Name? Everything!

Knowing Your AQ Score

Are You Normal?

Afterword

Acknowledgments

Appendix: 103 AQ Scores

INTRODUCTION

Visible Light Spectrum ShutterStock

The goal of this little book is to improve communication between people across the so-called Autism Spectrum Disorder spectrum. This personality spectrum, like all spectra, has two ends and a middle. I recommend it be renamed the Passion Reason Spectrum (PRS), for reasons that will become clear.

As a pathologist by training, I find the naming of things to be of interest and importance.

Pathologists specialize in the classification of diseases and other health disorders.

Call it a disorder and BIG PHARMA comes knocking at your door with a bag of expensive pills. Name it a personality type or phenotype, and you’ll be more likely to focus on finding the appropriate life-style and environment for your personal happiness. These personality types range from those more emotional in nature, to those who tend to head for logic, often being somewhat out of touch with their emotions.

I’m apparently, On the autism spectrum. Learning this, recently, has explained a lot about my life, in addition to dramatically improving my relationships with friends and neighbors. I prefer the term Aspergers to autism for highly functional individuals.

I’m not a trained psychologist, but this is my personal Aspergers story, and the opinions expressed are mine own.

Kevin Thomas Morgan, BVSc, PhD, DipACVP, FRCPath

Old Dogs in Training, LLC

NEGOTIATE USING THEIR CURRENCY

Lloyd a Trump Supporter right

Here I am with Lloyd (right), an avid Trump supporter, while I can’t stand the guy, but Lloyd and I still like each other.

Social guidance: When dealing with people who are

emotionally attached to an idea that you need to counter, attempt diplomacy combined with knowledge and logic. Diplomacy is the key.

1995. I was wandering along a corridor, in the institute where I worked, going from one experiment to another, one research publication to another, or just seeking a cup of coffee, when intercepted by a manager, Jim. This particular manager was a good scientist who’d drifted into science management. Jim stopped to ask me to attend a meeting the following Tuesday morning, saying it was important that I be there.

I thought, "Sure it is!"

I replied that I had plans in the lab at that time, which was true. He looked distressed, and said, Come on, Kevin. Surely you can move things around and come to our meeting. It's really important.

To managers, all meetings, and in some cases only meetings, are important. They spend so much time in meetings that they come to believe that meetings are where science and other aspects of real life actually happen. Science really happens in people's minds, or in a laboratory, which could be a room or a jungle.

In my experience, as a life-long scientist, science rarely if ever occurs in meetings.

I sighed and said that I would do what I could to reschedule our experiment, which I did. I later called to let him know I would be at his meeting. He said, Great! Thanks! but I could tell he’d already moved on. That particular meeting was no longer on his mind ― he was thinking about another meeting.

I moved my science around for a meeting that was probably 99 percent a waste of time, if not 100 percent.

The video, Meetings Bloody Meetings, starring John Cleese, addresses the topic effectively.

My epiphany

A few months later, I was blithely walking along the same corridor, and, once again, here comes Jim with a request for another meeting. Hey, Kevin, says Jim. We have a business-critical meeting Thursday. We really need you to be there.

A light bulb went on in my head. I spotted an escape hatch.

I said, Sorry Jim, I'm tied up with meetings all day Thursday. Can’t you reschedule?

Was that a lie?