ODD

[supergee]

An article about the danger of treating resistance to authority as a mental health problem, such as "Oppositional Defiant Disorder" (ODD). I mostly agree, but I think I myself am an ODD-ball. One symptom is that I reflexively distrust political, religious, financial, etc. authority, which all by itself makes me right an alarming amount of the time, but there's also a certain amount of sheer perversity, like wanting to shit in the environment and wipe my ass on the social fabric.

Comments

[necturus]

Do you remember when the Brezhnev-era Soviet Union used to commit dissidents to mental institutions? This is not much different, methinks.

[marahmarie]

From the article: Anti-authoritarians question whether an authority is a legitimate one before taking that authority seriously.

This describes me. I have the hardest time taking anyone, even actual "authorities" seriously (see, I even have trouble using that word without putting mental air quotes around it, I feel it's so bombastic in spirit and intent) *unless* you earn my respect, admiration, or sheer goodwill in a concrete fashion that I can't ignore. Then my cooperation can be bottomless, but unless I trust you right off the bat, it takes a long time to get me there, or else just never happens at all. I've always chalked it up to being a free spirit unable to tolerate most people's bs, my cynical nature, and my strong will, but if the pro-authoritarian types want to call it a mental illness then hey, *shrug* whatever. No skin off my back (because I'm too anti-authoritarian to really care).

[wild_irises]

This question has been bothering me since I heard of Oppositional Defiant Disorder.