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Humanities
- ISSN: 2155-7993
- Journal of Modern Education Review
Unweaving the Complex Relationship between Empathy and Theory of Mind in Studies Involving Autism Spectrum Disorder: Future Directions
Gillian Kajganich, Carole Senechal
(Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa, Canada)
Abstract: An inherent deficit in empathy is linked to diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) but the construct of empathy is often confused with sympathy or largely misunderstood. The objective of this paper is to examine the complex relationship between empathy and theory of mind in the existing body of research in the field of ASD. The confusion between the two ideas, empathy and theory of mind, became increasingly evident as the two words were largely used as synonyms in early research and the trend has continued through time. The
result is the development of a theoretical framework within which to explore research in the field of ASD that combines theory of mind, simulation theory, and psychological theories that focus on the motor, cognitive, and emotional components of empathic behaviour. The argument is made that empathy and theory of mind cannot be used interchangeably and the two terms are not mutually exclusive. While the paper confirms that individuals with ASD do not learn empathic behaviours through social interactions and employing theory of mind as typically
developing children do, there is evidence that individuals with ASD can learn to demonstrate empathic behaviours
in social situations through simulated practice.
Key words: autism spectrum disorder, theory of mind, empathy, simulation theory
