“Affective networks attach emotional significance to objects and actions.” People with ADHD may have negative feelings of themselves as learners, workers, friends, etc. People who interact with them may also have these negative images. Barkley (Barkley, 1998, p. 70) claims that children with ADHD who take medicine tend to not only be more successful academically, but also “tend to be liked better by other children”.
The impulsiveness, restlessness, fidgeting, inability to keep still and quiet of people with ADHD can be disturbing to others. This can create problems of isolation for them. Their inability to concentrate and pay attention in school tend to lead to underachievement, which in turn can make them develop low self-esteem and attach negative feelings to school and homework.
The following quote demonstrates how a subject with ADHD may attach these negative feelings to school: “Even when I was truly interested in something I found it extremely difficult to focus and retain what I was hearing. I also get very irritable in crowds, in noisy situations, and when I am trying to get something accomplished and get interrupted. This is very common with ADD… I remember as a child wondering what was wrong with me. Teachers never liked me and labled me as lazy. By junior high, I took on the role of bully to appear as though I actually wanted to be the way that I was.” (truthandgrace, no date)