Monotropism, Hyperfocus, or Autotelic Personality? Attention Styles and Autism

Authors

Abstract

Domain-general attention differences in autism are common and impactful, but relevant concepts like monotropism, autotelic (flow-prone) personality, and hyperfocus seemingly have overlapping features and distinct attributes. This study aimed to clarify how they are related. autistic and non-autistic adults completed online self-report measures of inattention, monotropism, autotelic personality, hyperfocus, anxiety, and sensory responsiveness. Autistic people reported more monotropism, hyperfocus, and inattention than non-autistic people. Group differences in autotelic personality were inconsistent. Attentional control and self-centredness were largely unrelated to other autotelic personality dimensions, respectively converging with ADHD inattention traits and social anxiety. A PCA on attention variables in autistic participants yielded many dimensions, with the two largest together explaining less than half of the variance. One of these dimensions seemingly reflected intense, enjoyable focus, and was indirectly related to anxiety via sensory hyperresponsiveness. The other seemingly reflected inattention/attention control difficulties, and was directly related to anxiety. Overall, results emphasise that attention in autism can have both positive (e.g., enjoyment) and negative (e.g., propensity to sensory distress) aspects. Underlying intense focus experiences likely contribute to hyperfocus, monotropism, and autotelic personality, but further research is needed to understand what appeared to be numerous dimensions of attention in autistic adults.

No cited bibliography is currently integrated for this reference. This does not necessarily mean that no bibliography exists.