There are disabilities that involve reduced empathy. Autism for reduced cognitive empathy and ASPD/NPD for reduced affective empathy. They both seriously impair relationship skills. People with ASPD often have criminal records because they did something stupid like shoplift breath mints and then punch out the cop who caught them. Empathy is a form of intelligence, and if you can’t imagine how people are going to feel when you do shitty things, then you’ll tend to do shitty things and get in lots of trouble for it.
To add to that - I believe I have reduced empathy and the effect is that I cling to rules as much as I can because they are the only sensible guide what’s right and what’s not. I know I have some empathy - just lower than normal folk. Still can’t imagine how it is to have none.
There are disabilities that involve reduced empathy. Autism for reduced cognitive empathy and ASPD/NPD for reduced affective empathy. They both seriously impair relationship skills. People with ASPD often have criminal records because they did something stupid like shoplift breath mints and then punch out the cop who caught them. Empathy is a form of intelligence, and if you can’t imagine how people are going to feel when you do shitty things, then you’ll tend to do shitty things and get in lots of trouble for it.
To add to that - I believe I have reduced empathy and the effect is that I cling to rules as much as I can because they are the only sensible guide what’s right and what’s not. I know I have some empathy - just lower than normal folk. Still can’t imagine how it is to have none.