VOLUME LXVI | JUN 2022

Theatrical Autistic Behavior Linked to Impression Management

Navigating social interactions can feel like a never-ending performance. Just as actors use camouflage to blend into their surroundings, autistic individuals may engage in a similar behavior to cope with the challenges of the neurotypical world. Researchers are exploring this phenomenon through the lens of impression management, a concept that sheds light on the reasons, mechanisms, and consequences of autistic ‘camouflaging.’ By integrating principles of predictive coding and Bayesian inference, scientists have developed a computational model that applies to both autistic and neurotypical individuals. This model provides new insights into the complex dynamics of social performances in autism and offers potential avenues for intervention and support. To dive deeper into this fascinating research, check out the full article!

Farah Al-Mansour

Farah is a Middle Eastern-Canadian sociologist from Ottawa, examining the role of social structures in fostering personal growth. Her passion is highlighting stories of human adaptability, and promoting inclusive group strategies for realizing untapped potential.

Social performances pervade human interactions. Some autistic people describe their social performances as ‘camouflaging’ and engage in these performances to mitigate social challenges and survive in the neurotypical world. Here, we reconsider autistic camouflaging under the unifying framework of impression management (IM) by examining overlapping and unique motivations, neurocognitive mechanisms, and consequences. Predictive coding and Bayesian principles are synthesized into a computational model of IM that applies to autistic and neurotypical people.
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