Not Autistic because I have the wrong kind if empathy

Page 2 of 2 [ 25 posts ]  Go to page Previous  1, 2

Muziek
Deinonychus
Deinonychus

User avatar

Joined: 10 Mar 2014
Gender: Male
Posts: 396

27 May 2016, 11:25 pm

Muziek wrote:
Listen, modern psycholgy is not a real science. All psychological based statement/opinions should be taken with a grain of salt, they may be suggestive or indicative at best. So, please, don't take what psychologists say so seriously.

In my book, “cognitive empathy” is fake empathy. I have very much "emotional empathy", so if this is an essential autistic measure then I would definately NOT have autism (which would be fine with me, I don't care about labels). However, I do not have much empathy for people I do not know. For example, if there is a big human disaster on the other side of the world, I won't be sleeping any less because of that.



Ganondox
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 7 Oct 2011
Age: 30
Gender: Male
Posts: 5,791
Location: USA

28 May 2016, 12:01 am

ZombieBrideXD wrote:
I really can't remember which is which,

I did this one empathy test and it basically said my empathy is s**t.

Your Empathy Quotient score was 17 out of a possible 80.
Scores of 30 or less indicate a lack of empathy common in people with Autism or Asperger’s Syndrome.


It's mainly cognitive empathy, but a few emotional empathy questions are thrown in to skew the results in a certain way and than lets stupid claims be made about it based on the results. I really hate that test.


_________________
Cinnamon and sugary
Softly Spoken lies
You never know just how you look
Through other people's eyes

Autism FAQs http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt186115.html


underwater
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 10 Sep 2015
Age: 49
Gender: Female
Posts: 1,904
Location: Hibernating

28 May 2016, 12:44 am

Ok, here's my pet theory of empathy: it develops with life experience. I was less empathetic than a lot of girls my age as a child, but it's changed. People with ASD mature later. They are often isolated and have fewer social experiences than others, and when they do have those experiences, they are often not aware of what they are seeing. That would lead to emotional empathy developing more slowly.

I recall very clearly that as a child, I didn't see much point in caring about the feelings of people who didn't care about mine. In retrospect, they might not have been aware of my feelings at all, because I didn't express them.

I became a lot more empathetic after meeting people who were nice to me.



Ganondox
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 7 Oct 2011
Age: 30
Gender: Male
Posts: 5,791
Location: USA

28 May 2016, 12:48 am

underwater wrote:
Ok, here's my pet theory of empathy: it develops with life experience. I was less empathetic than a lot of girls my age as a child, but it's changed. People with ASD mature later. They are often isolated and have fewer social experiences than others, and when they do have those experiences, they are often not aware of what they are seeing. That would lead to emotional empathy developing more slowly.

I recall very clearly that as a child, I didn't see much point in caring about the feelings of people who didn't care about mine. In retrospect, they might not have been aware of my feelings at all, because I didn't express them.

I became a lot more empathetic after meeting people who were nice to me.


Yes, it's something which develops over a life time, but it can't be said to just mature later, as many autistic children are avoidant BECAUSE they are too empathetic. It's not a mature form of emotional empathy, but it's still emotional empathy. Empathy is much more complicated that just more of or less of.


_________________
Cinnamon and sugary
Softly Spoken lies
You never know just how you look
Through other people's eyes

Autism FAQs http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt186115.html


underwater
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 10 Sep 2015
Age: 49
Gender: Female
Posts: 1,904
Location: Hibernating

28 May 2016, 1:01 am

Ganondox wrote:
underwater wrote:
Ok, here's my pet theory of empathy: it develops with life experience. I was less empathetic than a lot of girls my age as a child, but it's changed. People with ASD mature later. They are often isolated and have fewer social experiences than others, and when they do have those experiences, they are often not aware of what they are seeing. That would lead to emotional empathy developing more slowly.

I recall very clearly that as a child, I didn't see much point in caring about the feelings of people who didn't care about mine. In retrospect, they might not have been aware of my feelings at all, because I didn't express them.

I became a lot more empathetic after meeting people who were nice to me.


Yes, it's something which develops over a life time, but it can't be said to just mature later, as many autistic children are avoidant BECAUSE they are too empathetic. It's not a mature form of emotional empathy, but it's still emotional empathy. Empathy is much more complicated that just more of or less of.

.
Of course. What I wrote was a huge oversimplification. I was oversensitive to people's moods, but I had no understanding of it. It all seemed very random, so it didn't enter the realm of conscious decision making.

From being on this site, though, I am disinclined to believe that all people with ASD are the same when it comes to empathy. Also from real life experience. Aren't there quite a few people with ASD who are low on both cognitive and emotional empathy? Probably not the majority, just as I doubt the hyperempathic group represent the majority.



Ganondox
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 7 Oct 2011
Age: 30
Gender: Male
Posts: 5,791
Location: USA

28 May 2016, 1:08 am

underwater wrote:
Also from real life experience. Aren't there quite a few people with ASD who are low on both cognitive and emotional empathy? Probably not the majority, just as I doubt the hyperempathic group represent the majority.


Yes. First, there is a range of empathy among autistic people just as neurotypical people. It's a bit more end heavy than the neurotypical population because more empathy makes the condition more severe, and less empathy is likely the result of more severe autism. So the later case would probably have otherwise normal empathy/slightly less empathy, but it never got developed much due to a severe lack of cognitive empathy.


_________________
Cinnamon and sugary
Softly Spoken lies
You never know just how you look
Through other people's eyes

Autism FAQs http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt186115.html


gingerpickles
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 17 Jan 2016
Age: 60
Gender: Female
Posts: 515
Location: USA

28 May 2016, 1:45 am

My son is very empathetic, he can be brought to tears when our worthless sooner hound in the hot seat. Or movies scenes. He doesn't always catch someone is sad. Neither do I. But he shows much more sympathy than I when he does notice.
When I was young my compassionate empathy was through teh roof if I was moved,


Narcissists, Machiavellians, and sociopaths are supposed top be the adepts at cognitive according to Ekman. The emotional is supposed to be the feelings that you feel with the other, but can get burned out to indifference (I am sooo there) while compassionate is moved to action by the other stages.


Sometimes I get vibe that medical paraprofessionals don't like patient to come with a pre-suggested ailment but not diagnosed. :evil: Getting my sons migraines looked to where he could be referred and it was confirmed quickly by a neurologist was an excruciating process, if had to needlessly suffer for an ego's sake.


_________________
FFFFF Captchas.


Joe90
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 23 Feb 2010
Gender: Female
Posts: 26,492
Location: UK

28 May 2016, 2:40 am

Most people are better at understanding things they have experienced themselves.


_________________
Female


green0star
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 5 Apr 2016
Gender: Female
Posts: 1,415
Location: blah

28 May 2016, 5:47 pm

The only time I feel something is if I've been through it myself. Otherwise I generally will feel nothing for the situation.