Learning empathy through movies (and other stuff :D )

Post Reply New Topic

Hi everyone,

I just joined today after watching the forums from the shadows for a few weeks. I'm possibly, probably an Aspie (self-diagnosed obviously ^^ ), scored pretty high on the two main tests (36/50 on one, 146/200 for Aspie, 76/200 for NT), and it has been pretty interesting to see and understand a few things from a different perspective.

I've had ADHD since I was a kid as well and I've always preferred being on my own. I'm very much a loner, have been for years (I'm 25, but look and act like I'm 17 ) and I like that, I like the quiet, I hate going out except to go to the movies in what is essentially a second home for me, I hate crowds, I hate too much noise, I hate social gatherings (actually sort of freaked out two days ago when I went out with my SO and her friends), I have to plan things a lot, a slight change throws me off, I can be stubborn, I don't like talking much, very quiet except when it's something that interests me, I can be hard to follow sometimes as the thoughts jumble in my head.

The one thing I love and always have loved is movies & my (sort of at the moment (she's complicated, tends to change her mind) girlfriend that I love to death, would do anything for. This post is probably going to be all over the place as it already is.

I was thinking about this and I was wondering what people here would think about it. I'm a filmmaker, starting off, and I truly live through movies, tv shows, etc, etc, consuming, learning everything I can learn about every aspect of it, whether technical or artistic, and I was reading about asperger's and empathy.

The thing is I feel when I think about it that I have little empathy overall, whether with close ones or else, I just don't feel it, I can understand sometimes but it doesn't faze me, except with my SO, when she cries or is sad, it feels like someone is stabbing my heart, but I don't have that with anyone else.

Movies however, I feel like I have learned, or more like I feel through movies. I always navigate towards indie, emotional movies with a huge amount of heart, and in everything I write or what interests me, there's always a lot of emotion, heart and beauty, and movies or even some tv shows just make me feel things I do not ever feel in real life (except with my SO really). I empathize a lot with fictional characters or situations, whether it is thanks to cinematography, directing, acting, music, etc.

Is there such a thing for other aspies here? Do you feel a difference? I realize movies and else are not real life, but they are so much more interesting to me.

I would agree that Aspies could benefit from movies when "learning" empathy.

However, I am of the opinion that EXPERIENCE is the best teacher.

It's easier to emphasize with something or someone if you have EXPERIENCED it yourself.

This is how I gained most of my empathy: EXPERIENCE.