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From: "M Winther" <m...@swipnet.se>
Newsgroups: uk.philosophy.humanism,alt.psychology.jung,alt.psychology,uk.current-events.terrorism
Subject: Breivik & autism
Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2012 13:17:56 +0200
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Concerning the ongoing trial in Norway of Breivik and the Utöya mass 
murder. The debate is ongoing about the mental condition of Breivik. 
Some say he is psychotic while some say that he is wholly sane and 
evil. I propose that he and certain other shooters, in Sweden and in 
the US, suffer from an autistic syndrome. Autistic people are often 
very well-functioning (often more focused than normal people), but 
they can get stuck in an eternal loop of distorted views of reality. 
Breivik's notions are distorted and he has concocted a potpourri of 
notions from political circles without really understanding them. One 
example of deficient insight is the way in which Breivik identifies 
with the medieval ideals of knighthood. But it has never been regarded 
chivalrous to murder defenseless people, especially not women. The 
medieval knighthood would have regarded his actions as the very 
opposite of chivalry.

Breivik lacks a deeper understanding of the political terms and is 
merely parroting them. He has developed a fixation on the notions but 
he  has a shallow understanding of them. This phenomenon is coupled 
with the autistic spectrum. The notion of narcissistic self-absorption 
has been suggested in media, but I think this is completely wrong. 
Autists have a tendency of looking upon other people as irritating 
insects, so the lack of empathy can also be explained by autism. In 
media, autists are often depicted as harmless people who have no wish 
to hurt other people, but this is wrong. Autistic people often have a 
socially destructive influence, but they can be productive at 
workplaces.

Mats Winther