AS the result of excessive empathy ?

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What is your opinion on this theory?


(someone please including the web link. I can't post any yet because I am a new member)
The link can be found by googling "Asperger's theory does about-face"

"A groundbreaking study suggests people with autism-spectrum disorders such as Asperger's do not lack empathy – rather, they feel others' emotions too intensely to cope."

I assume you want this link: http://www.healthzone.ca/health/articlePrint/633688

There is another recent thread here on Wrong Planet of possible interest to you: http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt96875.html

I encourage you to read this: http://autism-prevention.blogspot.com/2 ... -lack.html ( I used to link to this, but now removed from public: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic ... f_empathy_ )

The final words of the story:

“You can have so much empathy that it’s painful for you, so you have to disengage,” Pavlova says. “Sometimes autistic people are not insensitive; they’re too sensitive.”

think this story suggested only 20% of Aspies are like this. I personally think there are many different types of Aspergers. Some symptoms can be complete opposite, but they are almost all extreme one way or another.

Last edited by TobyZ on 23 May 2009, 5:19 pm, edited 3 times in total.

I agree. I feel their emotions too intensely and it's hard not to cry.

I have strong empathy, but it doesn't overwhelm me normally. There's a few times when it does, though.

I know I have an empathetic sensitivity to "fight-or-flight" signals in people. I'm driven nuts when there's nervous tension going on in someone near me. I respond to it by becoming irritable and impatient myself. I just can't relax around people with nervous mannerisms. I have remove myself from stressed family members to avoid fights when things get hectic.

I used to be a sucker for any sob story.

Well I don't know if I have some form of autism or not, but in my experience I was extremely empathetic as a child. The kind of extreme that if I gave you examples you wouldn't believe me. After a certain event, it was like a switch was turned off or something. After 4 years, here I am now, incapable of even being sympathetic sometimes. I feel blind to emotions sometimes and that bothers me because I feel like I'm hurting people in the process, but at the same time... I remember what it was like as a child and although my empathy was quite extraordinary, I'm somewhat grateful that I don't have to deal with all the repercussions any more. So I don't know where your theory fits in with my story, but there it is.

Interesting, I hadn't heard that before. It would certainly explain why I've never been able to watch any scenes on the television when theres a cringworthy scene on such as someone embarassing themselves and being thoughally embarassed or when I know someones really looking forward to something and is about to be disapointed. I literally have to slam my hands over my ears and hum so I can't hear even a word of it otherwise I feel sick and terrible.

I remember my aunt or mother reading me a children’s book when I was three or four years old. I think it was about this prince or king or whatever having to go into a hot oven to remove something. So he found a man that would not burn and had him go into the oven. I remember that I cried for an hour even though they kept trying to explain to me that the man was ok because he simply did not burn. I would not believe them and kept crying anyway. Sometime between then and many years later I developed a skin so thick that it would make walrus envious. If anyone has any input as to how or why please let me know.

I'm like that and I thought I was the only one who was. When I watch an embarassing scene (for example) I just feel all horrible and have to get up and pre occupy myself for a short amount of time until it has passed.

Me too. I can't watch Funniest Home Videos where people almost break their necks. Also gave up on Dexter because of the cold hearted violence. I just skip over news stories of children drowning or other tradegies. I'm haunted by a photo of a girl being exectued by Nazi's in WWII. I'm cringe when I think of that scene in Dr Strangelove where Slim Pinkins rides the atomic bomb into oblivion.

But of course I'm boring you and don't have the empathy to stop.

I'm the same exact way! My boyfriend and I were just watching 'Entourage' the other evening (one of our favorites), and I knew one of the characters was about to get torn a new one...so I started freaking and hid my face in my boyfriend's shoulder. I felt so dang nervous!

Me too. I get a horrible feeling in my chest when something bad happens in a film/show/book. I feel like screaming out to the writer to change the story so I don't have to feel so bad.
I also get painfully embarrassed when someone does something embarrassing on TV. I avoid the sort of programmes which make humour out of other people's embarrassment because it makes me feel so horrible.
Pfft, and my therapist said I only have "intellectual empathy".

I think I feel the discomfort of others worse than the people themselves-- especially when a person is humiliated or making a fool of himself. Is this empathy or something else? I agree that there must be several types of AS.

I have been trying to tell people this for years!

Part of me is bitter that it has taken this long to be acknowledged, part of me is grateful that it finally has been acknowledged.

I think there is massive confusion about the difference between sympathy and empathy (and the different types of empathy). All told, the AS "community" is all very different, and the whole "lack of empathy" stereotype is an oversimplification (to say the least).