I am minting a new theory of motivation has emerged in 2024, which I'm calling a predominantly-prosocial motivational profile (PPM Profile). This is a specific kind of profile that goes beyond a general desire to "help the community". It is a profile where prosocial motivations are the driving force behind all behaviors. It is a nuanced type of prosocial behavior that impacts my ability to function in a self-supporting productive manner.
Personal Traits
Here are the traits that I think define it.
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My autistic traits help keep my ADHD inattentive type traits in check. The demand for coherence in data-first communications and high intensity attention is at odds with people with ADHD who are not able to do the same.
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In a similar vein, my demand for coherence in thought and communiction is very alien to neurotypical/allistic people, who see communication primarily as a way to provide social reassurance and support as prosocial behavior. So perhaps it can be said that my prosocial motivation expresses itself quite diferently than what is normally associated with prosocial behaviors, if that makes sense. In other words, my prosocial behavior is expressed as a so-called high function autistic with some gifted tendencies, and many people find this intimidating.
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I have a high demand for people who speak for themselves with authenticity and transparency, which is hard for many people to do because they are used to being hurt. While I provide a sense of safety to people by sharing my own vulnerabilities with an articulate way, I think this is also intimidating to people who are just starting this journey (or perhaps have never experienced a safe space to even consider a start)
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As someone highly sensitive and susceptible to emotional cues, I get angry when I sense people are virtue signaling or not being true in their desires or lack of understanding. I get angry when I feel people are not contributing or measuring relative contribution as a means of status.
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I am discouraged by people who are unable to make commitments, and am wary of promises made that are not followed-up on. For many people, promises are social conveniences that create an aura of cooperation that are not backed up by action.
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When I feel emotion from other people, I am deeply affected and have to manage this to maintain my own balance. It's hard to offer emotional support for extended periods of time, and I am particularly wary of people who I think will need extended emotional support. My reserve of energy is already low, and I don't want to get stuck doing emotional labor for others.
Running the above through ChatGPT4 to make the list more succinctMy source text and follow-up ChatGPT conversation is archived here.:
- My autism and ADHD interact in a way that requires coherence and high-intensity attention, which can be at odds with others.
- My prosocial motivation is expressed through coherence in thought and communication, which can be intimidating to neurotypical people.
- I value authenticity, transparency, and vulnerability in communication, but it can be challenging for others who are used to being hurt.
- Virtue signaling, lack of contribution, and unfulfilled promises trigger anger and discouragement in me.
- Emotional susceptibility requires me to manage my own balance, and I'm' cautious about providing extended emotional support due to your limited energy.
Relation to Neurodivergent Experience
The autistic and ADHD communities, from what I've read online, frequently report the desire to have a place where they can belong, having been bullied or misunderstood for much of their early life. I've also read accounts of people identifying themselves as autistic have echoed the same sentiments I have about authenticity, transparency, and speaking what they think rather than what they are "supposed to say", which has lead to becoming outcasts or labeled "weird". I'm not sure how much this is relevant to what I've labeled PPMP, but I think there is overlap with my own experience and the traits I've listed above.
Ramifications for Community
Many of my skills and interests have been acquired because I thought they helped me connect/explain/show other people how to do something they found exciting and useful that we all could enjoy. I've realized I have no inherent interest in these skills as something I enjoy doing. I like doing them only if I am doing them with other people. When I do enjoy something, it is for the superlative experience that I immediate want to share with others. However, this is not adequate to motivate me to work. I need to feel that strong emotional connection underlying the relatively straightforward aspects of a project.
Since the Predominantly-Prosocial Motivation Profile is rare, recruiting people to form the core of any future organization.
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To attract people, I have to appeal to their hearts while also appealing to their prosocial desires to build something that is culturally and organizationally-sound.
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While the ultimate goal is to create a "colony" that is accepted of anyone seeking compassion and empathy with a shared desire to create a better world, this call of action is aimed at architects, community builders, skilled communicators, and skillful people who have seen plenty of other initiatives start LOUD and end in ruin due to mismanagement and internal conflict.
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However, the main thrust of the call to action is about the heartfelt desire and the heartfelt motivation. I think I want to also indicate that I'm looking for prosocially-motivated individuals who have the desire to apply and grow their skills in this context.
This goes beyond having good rapport with the people I work with, or having friends and acquaintances that I'm friendly with. I have a higher need for direct and genuine engagement with others while I'm working. I like to experience the highs and lows of the project with others, encouraging each other and collaborating to find solutions. Without this, I am operating in a low-efficiency mode and am rather miserable.
Relevant Skills and Ideas
- Storycrafting as a made-up term describing my love of using narrative devices to effect real-world change.
- Aesthetics as in the exploration of beauty and more broadly the individual's sense of it
- Material Culture as how objects and materials affect social life and communication
- Symbolic Interactionism as how individuals interact with each other using symbols and objects to share meaning
- Mediated Communication as a framework for understanding video game world building (though it's not limited to that)