Empathy Deficits in Autism and Psychopaths, Exams of Social Psychology

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NAVIGATING THE

SOCIAL WORLD

What Infants, Children, and Other Species

Can Teach Us

EDITED BY

MAHZARIN R. BAN AJI

SUSAN A. GELMAN

OXFORD ".nttvaaun, ......

Empathy Deficits in Autism and Psychopaths

Mirror Opposites?

SIMON BARON-COHEN

' mp,,tby CID be defined U bmlig tw0 eep,l

• rablc oompomnts: a cogDilm c:ompaneat (the ablllty to recopl7.C - � 1boughll, lnmdi0111, and fecllnp) ancl 1111 .&ctlff cam ponent (the drm: to rapcmd to someone else's thougbta and feelinga with ID appropriate emD· t:ion) (Buoo-Cobm, 1003; Dma. 1994), 1wo dUlierCDt � conditioJls In-me empathy ddicita: IIUlilm (Buon-Coha, 1995; Fl'ldJ. 1!1$9) and P')'dloplth:r (Blalr et al., 2005). So why do they not remit in a similar outcomef lf tbq both share law enipethy. why do people with auliml tend to ll¥Old otha people. struggle 'Wllh relatlonahipt. ancl thaw a commitment to bonmy and tmth (Beroa-Coheu. 2008b), wbmaa � cbop,111,a often hurt other people, and IIJIJlipulak and deoeivc othul (Baron-Cohai. 2011)? fu aDlwet to tbu riddle .tm.y lie ill tbc two "fractiom" of empllhy. 'Du, thesi, ia that wblle pc:ople wllb autism have well-Glablllhal difficul. ties In theozy of mind (the cognJIM amiponent of cmpalhy) alongaide lmct alfcct1ve empa th)\ � � lollCt theory cl mwl but l.mplin,d al&ctm: empathy (Bia.Ir, 1!199; Bla!r et al., 19!16). Put othcnrile. peopl£ with autiua haw trouble keeping tr,,ck of otbm' �. bellef'a, knowdp. dnlra, and emotion, but llill. ga up1et whm they � of IOIDtOlldl tulmlng. wblle psycbopadn find It euyto m!ml read olllcn and do 10 to their own lldvaotag,e but do not � about othsri thoucbta and�- So If ID � cognilm empathy ii Intact while alfectm tmpllhy ia impaired, and Jf in autllm lhe � ie tbc oppoalle way uamd. could this eq,laln the � we: obecne lo thdr b� Certainly " la • pmi.nloDiola c:q,lanation for why "mo d,,grea of empath( QID result in auel1y In ptycbopatm OD the <1DC baod, and 1oclll witbdraMl ancl confmlon in

people with ll1tim1. But can it c,q,lain the othor l,lgdifraenoe ��two groupa: tbatpoa ple with autiam oftien mow high Ievdl of11i1Jr while p,p:liope:th. - brand tuue amoral? 'Jbe psydlolopt Jon Haldi: (2011) bu a nhl• able anal}'lil o[ morality. He ldenti6es iw 11111- vmal. bmdatimw princlpa that pide Oil juclgm,ent af good and bed. and tberebt - behavior in ftlation to how to - othaL The. are (1) cariq fur othm, (2) faimcu ud ju,bllt. (3) 1o,alt:r towud onei IP'O"P, (4) mpect lot 11111hotlty. and (5) parity. 1hCK he -W- ..., lb, nolml bmclationl « morallty beclllle - at these can be ob1c:rffll in ollm primllc1 ud ffl'I ID&IDlllall. For CDlllple, � and apet • can for depeodent in&nb act ln ways to proled the wlncnble, jolt llu bumanl do (the "a.�' pdadpl,,): � and other "pedi." anialllo IO In way,, ID keep the group coh£sm (lbe � prindpk), and primatra who liw: iD IOCial !aad diia mow. ben aen&ltl'rity .a ha,rto 11att1i.-. in. higher IIOdal rank to theuuelwt (the "IIJ'hm' lty/r:aped' prlDdple). But beck to pecple with ll1llsm aod prclit petb: Why do the former often '2low hlfll, !ft• of. morality-to the point of� 1llill1i blowen when they pen:elw otl,en u bRdlL'Bd .n&la-wblle tbelaner lhow high lewla of.-' ity! Is thla dilference lllo a comequoce oftlle a thdr cmp.lhy fncdooateal I will a11111e m,t .t, oat ofme aifflidt'a maral prindplel-• P· NppOIC ildlct all'ecllft c:mpathJ; � whdhcr oopitift empathy ia lntad or IPlP"';. Flnt, camlder 1he l1IDUIW}' chart ill �^4 • Haw mipt a� flue on BoJdl!I mme1 prlndplea? � know It IS .ii-t6-r that a fl1dlopeth WIJllld k able to hart 1111 • penoo (to no "we" principle}, c:belt ., out a( tbelr fair abatt (... JIG � **'Yo"_**