Positive ADHD Traits

Research and articles about gifted divergent minds

Dec 02, 2021

I recently came across a 2019 study that sought to characterize the positive aspects of ADHD. The researchers found six traits, each with related sub-traits: cognitive dynamism, courage, energy, humanity, resilience, and transcendence.

They sound a little new-agey and vague, but this is a peer-reviewed article and the authors go on to describe each of their terms in specific, measurable qualities.

Cognitive dynamism

Cognitive dynamism was defined as “ceaseless mental activity”, in other words, a racing mind, or internal hyperactivity.

The authors went on to describe specific examples, such as hyperfocus. Hyperfocus in ADHD is characterized as a deficit in set-shifting and task-switching, but many people with ADHD experience hyperfocus as a positive, and associate it with productivity.

Hyperfocus Like A Boss

Another gift included under the cognitive dynamism category was creativity. Many studies have demonstrated people with ADHD generally have more creative minds than neurotypicals.

It makes sense when you think of what a divergent mind is: it’s a brain whose development and functioning diverges from the statistical norm. This doesn’t automatically mean better or worse, it simply means outside of the average.

There are common ways of thinking amongst those who are the same neurotype. When the majority of our population is neurotypical, their problem-solving processes will be similar, and they’ll come up with similar ideas.

When someone with a divergent brain looks at the same problem, we have a different perspective and are less constrained by social norms and expectations, both of which allows us to come up with unique ideas.

These traits are thought to contribute to some neurodivergent people becoming exceptional entrepreneurs. Research has described ADHD entrepreneurs as more intuitive business owners, and points to our outside-the-box thinking as an advantage in the business world.

It’s not a superpower, but it makes me one hell of an entrepreneur

Courage & resilience

When I first read “courage” as one of our positive attributes, I was a little confused. I didn’t disagree, but I hadn’t heard those of us with ADHD described in this way before.

As I read on, it became more clear. Neurodivergent people are described as more sensitive to issues of social justice and human rights when compared to neurotypicals.

We’re also described as being nonconformists, so we are much less likely to be caught up in groupthink, and more likely to remain firm in our beliefs, even when they do not align with popular opinion.

A very interesting point made by participants in this study was their spontaneity was viewed as fun and adventurous in certain circumstances, while described as impulsive and reckless in others.

Either characterization may be accurate depending on what is at stake, but it may be willingness to take risks and trust one’s intuition are also what make people with ADHD such successful entrepreneurs.

ADHD Qualities Of Successful Entrepreneurs

Energy & humanity

The authors and participants in this study discussed different types of energy: physical, psychological, and spiritual. I did not identify with the spiritual aspects, mentioned, but I did very strongly identify with their descriptions of will, drive, and volition.

I have always been an extremely willful and driven person. When I set my sights on something, I was bound and determined, and would work relentlessly to achieve my goal.

“Volition requires an individual to become energised by a strong desire to achieve something, then to strive relentlessly towards a threshold in which intrinsic motivation transmutes into a physical energy that drives performance and productivity.” — Deci & Vansteenkiste (2004).

To me, this is very much connected to the earlier conversation about justice sensitivity. If I feel an injustice has occurred, this energizes me to work against it, I’m driven to right the wrong that has been done.

Neurodivergents: Justice Warriors

All participants in the study said that if their ADHD went away they would miss their sense of humour. I am not particularly funny, but my son is hilarious and he has a very clever sense of humour.

An important way this is used in our household is to diffuse tension. If my son and I are starting to get annoyed with one another, often one of us will make a smart-ass remark and we’ll end up laughing instead of arguing.

ADHD: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

Transcendence

I am a hardcore science-loving atheist, so the idea of spirituality makes me squirm uncomfortably. However, I understand the experience of transcendence through Dr. Porges’ Polyvagal Theory.

I’m not a neuroscientist, but click here for my quick overview of how the Polyvagal Theory relates to transcendence.

When you join medium, as a member you’ll have access to unlimited reads for only $5 per month. If you use my referral link, I’ll earn a small commission.

What is Neurodiversity?

References

Alink, A., Charest, I. (2020). Clinically relevant autistic traits predict greater reliance on detail for image recognition. Scientific Reports 10, 14239. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-70953-8

Barkley, R. A. (2015). Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: A handbook for diagnosis & treatment. The Guilford Press.

Carpenter Rich, E., Loo, S. K., Yang, M., Dang, J., & Smalley, S. L. (2009). Social Functioning Difficulties in ADHD: Association with PDD Risk. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 14(3), 329–344. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359104508100890

Deci, E., & Vansteenkiste, M. (2004). Self-determination theory and basic need satisfaction: Understanding human development in positive psychology. Ricerche di Psicologia 27, 23–40.

Gonzalez-Carpio, G. , Serrano, J. and Nieto, M. (2017) Creativity in Children with Attention Déficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Psychology, 8, 319–334. https://doi.org/10.4236/psych.2017.83019

Grant, A., & Kara, H. (2021). Considering the Autistic advantage in qualitative research: the strengths of Autistic researchers. Contemporary Social Science, DOI: 10.1080/21582041.2021.1998589

Miranda, M. C., Barbosa, T., Muszkat, M., Rodrigues, C. C., Sinnes, E. G., Riz- zuti, S., Palma, S. M., Bueno, O. F. (2012). Performance patterns in Conners’ CPT among children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and dyslexia. Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria 70(2):91–96. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0004-282X2012000200004

Moore, C. B., McIntyre, N. H., & Lanivich, S. E. (2021). ADHD-Related Neurodiversity and the Entrepreneurial Mindset. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 45(1), 64–91. https://doi.org/10.1177/1042258719890986

Porges, S. W. (2011). The Polyvagal Theory: Neurophysiological foundations of emotions, attachment, communication, and self-regulation. W. W. Norton & Company. https://goodreads.com/book/show/9939396-the-polyvagal-theory

Sedgwick, J. A., Merwood, A., Asherson, P. (2019). The positive aspects of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a qualitative investigation of successful adults with ADHD. ADHD Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorders 11, 241–253. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12402-018-0277-6

Späth, E.M.A., Jongsma, K.R. (2020). Autism, autonomy, and authenticity. Medical Health Care and Philosophy 23, 73–80. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11019-019-09909-3