Low Empathy Quotient score?

Question

I scored a 4 out of 80. I'm pretty sure I don't have Autism or Aspergers.. Does this mean anything? Or, are there any disorders that include low empathy as a symptom?

Answer 1

There are a lot of disorders that have the ability to affect empathy. Of course, psychopathy and sociopathy are 2 disorders that are centered around lack of empathy. There are also others that can affect empathy, such as borderline personality disorder. There are some things for people with autism like having a difficult time understanding when someone is upset or angry, but just because you filled this out on the eq test doesn't mean you are autistic. The reasoning behind your fill in the blank choices can make that more clear. I took the eq test, and I scored 18. I am autistic. I think that sometimes these can be inaccurate as well. There were some choices where I didn't slightly agree or slightly disagree with, and some where sometimes it goes both ways. For example, I usually can't understand why someone is upset unless I really know them well. But it's not a disagree. Point being, don't look into it too much. Although if you are genuinely concerned, you should seek further acts.

Answer 2

Certain personality disorders can score extremely low on the empathy quotient, though they usually don't score into the autism range. People with personality disorders often lack empathy. It's a common feature of Cluster B personality disorders such as borderline, antisocial (sociopathy), narcissistic, and histrionic. This also includes psychopathy. However, most of these people can still intellectually understand empathy despite lacking the capacity to connect emotionally and "feel" for other people, and can read facial expressions and body language.



My point is that yes, other disorders can score extremely low on the empathy quotient but a score of 4 is pretty extreme. I used personality disorders as an example because, while these people often lack empathy, they are adept at manipulation. They can read people, they understand most social cues and possess most basic social skills. Sociopaths and narcissists in particular often score low on the empathy quotient but not that low.

Answer 3

It is a common misconception that those with Aspergers have low empathy. The problem isn't that they don't empathize, it is that they can't read the cue that tells them something is wrong in a situation in which they would need to empathize with someone.



Anyway, low empathy usually implies some sort of personality disorder. Such as Narcissism, Antisocial Personality Disorder, Schizoid Personality Disorder. It usually does not imply a pervasive developmental disorder such as Autism/ Aspergers.