Autistic Empathy versus Neurotypical Empathy

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Auties or NTs more empathetic
Neurotypicals 52%  52%  [ 23 ]
Autistics 48%  48%  [ 21 ]
Total votes : 44

Bozewani
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14 Oct 2008, 2:45 pm

Who is more empathetic? (and of course, give the reason). Personally and contrary to what most NTs would like us to believe, I feel auties are far more empathetic then the average NT because we deal with the fomer's abuse all the time (as well as suspicion, paranoia, and complete and utter alienation and marginilization).

(and besides I doubt many auties would commit such atrocious things as the Holocaust, apartheid, and slavery).



MadAme
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14 Oct 2008, 3:36 pm

Samuel Johnson was asked who is smarter, a man or a woman. His response: "Which man, and which woman?" Same idea as to who is more empathetic: Which Aspie, and which NT?



anna-banana
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14 Oct 2008, 3:38 pm

I'd say aspies are more empathetic towards animals, not so much towards other people though so I voted for NTs.


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donkey
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14 Oct 2008, 4:00 pm

your nearly there.

As in general tend to display innapropriate expressions of emotion.

so either too much or too little.

so soem AS will really feel for an animal in pain and distress but seem oblivious to someone locked up in jail for 27 years, wrongly, and then gets released and ends apharteid.
it is the incomplete abilty to regulate or modulate emotions that is a sign of AS, not lack of emotion as is generally considered by some.

too much or too little. rarely just "right"


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Mosse
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14 Oct 2008, 4:04 pm

NTs of course. "Lack of empathy" is one of the diagnostic criteria.



ooOoOoOAnaOoOoOoo
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14 Oct 2008, 4:08 pm

I chose autistics and if you wonder why, just wiki empathy and read about it.



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14 Oct 2008, 4:08 pm

NTs on average.

BUT: people with certain backgrounds in which they are forced to deal with some hard emotional stuff can learn a great deal of empathy, both AS and NT. The empathy of aspies is unique however, and can fill in a gap that others may not understand.

I personally believe I am more empathetic than most NTs. Then again, I also believe I have learned better social skills than most NTs. So my case is not typical aspergers in my opinion. But no individual is "typical".



TallyMan
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14 Oct 2008, 4:15 pm

I didn't vote. I don't know. I think I'm very empathic towards others but the level of associated emotion varies. Sometimes I can be very emotional and other times people have said I'm cold and unfeeling. As donkey says it doesn't seem to be the amount of empathy more the erratic nature of it.

I think maybe Aspie empathy is more "of the head" than "of the heart" - so we maybe feel things more at an intellectual level than an emotional level?


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ValMikeSmith
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14 Oct 2008, 4:51 pm

Quote:
so soem AS will really feel for an animal in pain and distress but seem oblivious to someone locked up in jail for 27 years, wrongly, and then gets released and ends apharteid.


It seems to me to be an odd characteristic of human nature in general to be more concerned about animal abuse than human abuse.



ooOoOoOAnaOoOoOoo
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14 Oct 2008, 5:00 pm

I feel weird when people care more about animals than people. I've known people who are like this and they are neurotypical.



886
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14 Oct 2008, 5:16 pm

Perhaps I am empathetic, but I don't know when I am being empathetic because I am unable to realize what it is. :?

Also seeing as I don't know any aspies, I can't really answer this question.


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14 Oct 2008, 8:35 pm

I am an autie and I am more compassionate and empathetic than most of the testosterone NT guys my age that I know.



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14 Oct 2008, 9:02 pm

Sorry, I can't remember which WP members said this but I think it's a brilliant quote. I use it in presentations I give about Aspergers'.

Quote:
I believe empathy is one of the biggest problems for aspies. Others' feelings, motivations, hidden agendas, interests, plans, goals are a mystery to us, we lack the intuition to capture them, we lack the antennae to tune into them.

This is not to be confused with lacking compassion. Once I know what another may be going through, I am extremely compassionate.

Empathy is the ability to figure what the other is feeling or thinking. It's what good salesmen are best at. They intuitively know how to catch your interest, what will hook you, what will make you feel at home with them. They're not necessarily compassionate. The fact that they can figure you out easily doesn't mean they care for your sufferings.



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14 Oct 2008, 10:06 pm

Bozewani wrote:
Who is more empathetic? (and of course, give the reason). Personally and contrary to what most NTs would like us to believe, I feel auties are far more empathetic then the average NT because we deal with the fomer's abuse all the time (as well as suspicion, paranoia, and complete and utter alienation and marginilization).

(and besides I doubt many auties would commit such atrocious things as the Holocaust, apartheid, and slavery).


That is a very low blow anf it is totally unfair. How is the average NT person responsible for these horrible things?

Auties are not born with haloes over their heads.



Saffy
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14 Oct 2008, 10:29 pm

Slow, there are a lot of people on these forums that seem to hold the view that NT's are the " bad guys " and we are shallow, irresponsible, untrustworthy etc.. personally I am getting pretty tired of these type of posts myself. I work with children and families that have ASD ( along with other disabilities ) .. and every time I log in and see something like that .. I think " here we go again" Why am I bothering to do the work I do, if this is the view that the people I work with hold ?
I am on the verge of ceasing to contribute to the forums over posts like this, I am quite frankly tired of the " NT " bashing here.



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14 Oct 2008, 10:54 pm

MadAme wrote:
Samuel Johnson was asked who is smarter, a man or a woman. His response: "Which man, and which woman?" Same idea as to who is more empathetic: Which Aspie, and which NT?


Exactly. Supposedly, NTs are better at "demonstrated empathy", but you don't need to feel something to demonstrate it. I think this could be what is meant by aspies lacking empathy. I think generally, we are empathetic, we just may not know how to show it.