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Do you think empaths can have Asperger's?
yes 86%  86%  [ 19 ]
no 14%  14%  [ 3 ]
Total votes : 22

JoanWatson709
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05 Jan 2013, 8:57 am

I've heard of empaths, and at times I've thought I was one, since I can literally feel other's pain. However, I (unofficially) have Asperger's as well. Is it possible to be/have both at the same time?


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Dillogic
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05 Jan 2013, 9:09 am

Not according to any descriptions of AS by professionals (from Hans to the current big names).



izzeme
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05 Jan 2013, 9:12 am

i dont see why not, and i actually feel i could be one at times as well.

mind you, the official description of aspergers state an inability to *show* empathy, there is no mention of experiencing it...



JoanWatson709
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05 Jan 2013, 9:13 am

Okay, that's a couple of opinions. Any others?


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05 Jan 2013, 9:22 am

JoanWatson709 wrote:
I've heard of empaths, and at times I've thought I was one, since I can literally feel other's pain. However, I (unofficially) have Asperger's as well. Is it possible to be/have both at the same time?


Please take the time to read this: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3010743/ (really interesting and in-depth academic article explaining the theory)

http://www.wrongplanet.net/article419.html (WP interview article on the above)

Basically, the theory states that people with autism feel everything too much. Which would include other people's moods. This explains why there are avoidance tactics such as lacking eye contact and avoiding socialising.


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Dillogic
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05 Jan 2013, 9:23 am

izzeme wrote:
mind you, the official description of aspergers state an inability to *show* empathy, there is no mention of experiencing it...


None I've read (that's Hans' paper, Wing's, and current research by Wing, Cohen, Gilberg and others).

They all speak of a "lack of empathy".



JoanWatson709
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05 Jan 2013, 9:28 am

whirlingmind wrote:
JoanWatson709 wrote:
I've heard of empaths, and at times I've thought I was one, since I can literally feel other's pain. However, I (unofficially) have Asperger's as well. Is it possible to be/have both at the same time?


Please take the time to read this: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3010743/ (really interesting and in-depth academic article explaining the theory)

http://www.wrongplanet.net/article419.html (WP interview article on the above)

Basically, the theory states that people with autism feel everything too much. Which would include other people's moods. This explains why there are avoidance tactics such as lacking eye contact and avoiding socialising.


That actually explains a lot. Thanks (:


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Joe90
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05 Jan 2013, 11:51 am

''NTs have empathy, Autistics lack it'' is all I hear on this forum.


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emimeni
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05 Jan 2013, 3:11 pm

Joe90 wrote:
''NTs have empathy, Autistics lack it'' is all I hear on this forum.


I disagree. I personally believe that there are several forms of empathy, and autistics only lack a few.

So yes, totally possible for an autistic to be an Empath, but they'll probably be less of an Empath than an NT Empath.


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CyclopsSummers
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05 Jan 2013, 3:21 pm

emimeni wrote:
Joe90 wrote:
''NTs have empathy, Autistics lack it'' is all I hear on this forum.


I disagree. I personally believe that there are several forms of empathy, and autistics only lack a few.

So yes, totally possible for an autistic to be an Empath, but they'll probably be less of an Empath than an NT Empath.


Do you experience empahy, though, eminemi? I'm asking because I honestly thought that I don't feel it, myself. From the descriptions of empathy I've read, I feel as though I've never been properly able to place myself in the emotional state of mind of someone else. Someone else may be outwardly showing distress, sadness, anxiety, anger... and I may notice it with my senses, rationally perceive it, but I don't react to it emotionally, nor do I go along with it so to speak. I tend to feel an emotional distance to most people around me at all times, and I used to feel emotional closeness with relatives and friends, but that has recently stopped as well, due to continued disappointment in them. But I don't think I've ever felt empathy proper.


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05 Jan 2013, 3:26 pm

Dillogic wrote:
izzeme wrote:
mind you, the official description of aspergers state an inability to *show* empathy, there is no mention of experiencing it...


None I've read (that's Hans' paper, Wing's, and current research by Wing, Cohen, Gilberg and others).

They all speak of a "lack of empathy".


I don't think you understand what an Empath feels.

Empaths feel things. This doesn't mean they understand them. This doesn't mean they have any clue of what emotions they are. This doesn't mean they have any clue of what other people are thinking. This doesn't mean that they have any clue of what they themselves are thinking.

Someone can be an empath and have alexithymia.

Someone can be an empath and have absolutely no clue what the person they're in the room is feeling, despite feeling those emotions themselves. They can have little understanding, little ability to relate, little ability to read the emotions, little ability to go from facial expressions to emotions.

Being an empath doesn't mean you actually know what is going on.


It is possible for someone who is vision impaired to have something->vision synesthesia.

It is possible to have an autistic empath. Or an alexithymic empath who isn't autistic.



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05 Jan 2013, 3:46 pm

Yes, I think this can be very well the case. The posters above me have mentioned the reasons. ;)


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