ASD - Empathy

[yay_I_AM_ASD123]

Hi,

Why is that some people with ASD have low Empathy while other people with ASD have high Empathy ?.


Could it mean something?



may you please explain?...

 

[Ste11aeres]

The first step is to define the meaning of the word "empathy". What exactly do you mean when you use this word?

Aspies in general tend to fall into extremes, but not always the same extreme. Some Aspies will be hyper-something, while others arel be hypo-that thing.
I can't explain why this is so.

 

[Suzanne]

I think it comes down to where on the spectrum an aspie is, so higher the score, is higher the problem areas.

That is just a wild guess, though.

I happen to by hyper empathetic. But also can have misplaced empathy such as I feel such a way, so that person must feel that way too and it gets complicated.

But it can work for me too, as I have a friend who is single and although I am not single, when we all went for a long journey, I put her in front, with my husband, because I knew that even if she was in the car, the love that my husband and I share, would make her feel the odd one out, so to speak.

So this is another work on for me ie that just because I feel such and such a way, does not mean the other one does and this is bloody hard work because I cannot get past the: well it is impossible for them to not be that way!!!

 

[Warmheart]

Some of us are challenged merely in reading people & situations, but once we know our care is needed, our warmth, compassion, and caring flow freely. Other times, even the expression of our empathy and compassion can be blocked by shutdown or strong anxiety. It is beyond fulfilling when we are able to express our deep compassion and kindness with some degree of relative ease.

 

[Keith]

I do not have any problem with empathy. It's considering their reactions to my actions that I have trouble with.

 

[Moviefan2k4]

I have an intense level of general empathy for people, wanting to help them through discussion or advice. But when it comes to specifics, there's many times where I either don't care at all, or don't want to. I was diagnosed with A.S. in September of 2013, but I haven't made much progress since.

 

[Honest Pod]

After careful examination, I found that I have little to no empathy for most human beings. I have more empathy for humans that I'm around for longer and have something in common with but that empathy is quickly dissolved with less contact with that person.

 

[Beverly]

I'm empathetic toward individuals and, a few select groups of humans but, not to humans in general.

For the most part, if a human is in a mess, it's of their own or their own collective doing and, I have no empathy for that.

 

[rache86]

Professor Simon Baron - Cohen has produced a great amount of research on this, some really interesting stuff. I'd recommend watching his talk on empathy on YouTube (or reading his book, 'zero degrees of empathy' if you're a reader). He defines two different types of empathy, which may go someway to answering your question.

 

[tree]

Professor Simon Baron - Cohen has produced a great amount of research on this, some really interesting stuff. I'd recommend watching his talk on empathy on YouTube (or reading his book, 'zero degrees of empathy' if you're a reader). He defines two different types of empathy, which may go someway to answering your question.

Here is a starting point for videos by Baron-Cohen.

To watch in whatever order you choose.....

 

[Skye81]

I am pretty good with my kids. And I feel for people really deeply but if something happens to someone in public I am very slow at reacting as I go blank as to what I'm meant to do by which point someone else jumps in first and does all the right thing..! I never know what to say to soothe people and I've always had to simply tell them that and normally my approach is to try out make them laugh somehow. And to my horror.. occasionally I find I need to laugh at a really bad moment. A friend cried in my living room once as she remembered a friend who had died and because I was so uncomfortable with dealing with it I kind of laughed, quickly got up and tried to cover up by finding tissues and immediately trying to make her laugh. Ouch.

 

[Adora]

I do have empathy especially those that are struggling either with homelessness and illnesses (mental or physical),I think most of my empathy comes from the fact that I myself was almost homeless a few times myself and I have experienced abuse numerous of times,and because of that if I see someone going through similar experiences like I did I feel for them.

 

[Skye81]

How about being able to read facial expressions? I scored highly on a facial expression test and do think I can read people well. Anyone else find they can read expressions but just find it hard to do the appropriate thing at the right time?!

 

[Suzanne]

How about being able to read facial expressions? I scored highly on a facial expression test and do think I can read people well. Anyone else find they can read expressions but just find it hard to do the appropriate thing at the right time?!

Me is the same, ie reading facial expressions and also came up almost 100%, but I also misinterpret the facial expressions too! I can read even the minute changes, where others completely miss. However, this has been learned because there was one time, I was just awful and made me feel very vulnerable and a need to escape, but now I feel just an uncomfortable because despite seeing the pain in the eyes, they pretend they are fine and so, I have to stop myself from insisting! Not sure which is worse: being able to read even the smallest things, or not at all?!

 

[Progster]

I can feel empathy, but have trouble feeling it in situations I haven't experienced myself, because I can't relate to the situation if I haven't experienced it.

I don't connect to other people emotionally, I don't feel as they do, but I can often understand how they may be feeling because I remember that this is how I felt in that situation, or I know that generally, people feel a certain way in certain situations. If a person's pet dies, I know that they feel sad, because that's how people generally feel in that situation, but I don't feel sad myself. And I don't have the emotional reaction to it that social etiquette demands.

 

[shinkansen]

I can feel empathy, but have trouble feeling it in situations I haven't experienced myself, because I can't relate to the situation if I haven't experienced it.

I don't connect to other people emotionally, I don't feel as they do, but I can often understand how they may be feeling because I remember that this is how I felt in that situation, or I know that generally, people feel a certain way in certain situations. If a person's pet dies, I know that they feel sad, because that's how people generally feel in that situation, but I don't feel sad myself. And I don't have the emotional reaction to it that social etiquette demands.

This is an excellent post, it could have been written about me. I cannot add to it. But I'll try !

I think that empathy goes beyond understanding or sharing the feelings of others. It may be understanding how other people think. For instance, your response to another person's question is entirely based on your own thinking, so you cannot understand the thinking behind their question. Perhaps that might explain why some people with Asperger's take things literally. Just my theory.

My professional diagnosis report refers to my empathy quotient score. They scored 0-80, where 80/80 is completely empathetic, 0/80 is no empathy at all. 30/80 and below is the cut off for a possible autism diagnosis. I scored 16/80.

It's my lack of empathy which led to close friends and family to suggest I was on the spectrum. I dismissed their suggestions. It was a specialist doctor's recommendation which led me to change my mind and get an assessment and diagnosis.