Home > TPR > Vol. 59 (2009) > Iss. 3
Article Title
Document Type
Theoretical Article
Abstract
There has been a widely held belief that people with autism spectrum disorders lack empathy. This article examines the empathy imbalance hypothesis (EIH) of autism. According to this account, people with autism have a deficit of cognitive empathy but a surfeit of emotional empathy. The behavioral characteristics of autism might be generated by this imbalance and a susceptibility to empathic overarousal. The EIH builds on the theory of mind account and provides an alternative to the extreme-male-brain theory of autism. Empathy surfeit is a recurrent theme in autistic narratives, and empirical evidence for the EIH is growing. A modification of the pictorial emotional Stroop paradigm could facilitate an experimental test of the EIH.
Recommended Citation
Smith, Adam
(2009)
"The Empathy Imbalance Hypothesis of Autism: A Theoretical Approach to Cognitive and Emotional Empathy in Autistic Development,"
The Psychological Record:
Vol. 59:
Iss.
3, Article 9.
Available at:
http://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/tpr/vol59/iss3/9