empathising systemising description

empathising systemising theory

• developed by baron-cohen to address the parts of ASD that ToM couldn’t

• repetitive behaviours and gender discrepancies in diagnosis

empathising definition

a drive to recognise, identify and respond to other people’s emotional stress

two components of empathy

• cognitive element

• affective empathy

cognitive element

recognising and understanding the mental state of others (explained in ToM as a deficit people with ASD have)

affective empathy

• ability to respond appropriately to people’s emotional state

• people with asd: respond to emotional distress with similar feelings of anxiety

• asd often have heightened personal distress

systemising

• the drive to analyse and understand systems

• important in non-social contexts, allows us to predict how systems will behave

• we analyse systems to understand how they are structured

ES theory suggests that

• people with asd have impaired empathising ability but hyperdeveloped systemising ability

• impaired empathising: difficulties in social interaction, maintaining relationships

• hyperdeveloped systemising: narrow interests, repetitive behaviours