Hmmm....yet another way to try to explain evil

From Hitler to Mother Teresa: 6 Degrees of Empathy

Dr. Baron-Cohen, a professor of developmental psychology at the University of Cambridge and director of the university’s Autism Research Center, proposes that evil is more scientifically defined as an absence of empathy, exacerbated by negative environmental factors (usually parental, sometimes societal) and a genetic component. When these three exist in tandem they result in what he calls a Zero-Negative personality. Zero-Negative takes at least three forms (and possibly more), borrowing from terms used in psychiatry: Zero Type P (psychopathology), Zero Type B (borderline disorder) and Zero Type N (narcissism).

Whereas psychiatry groups these three loosely under the term “personality disorders,” Dr. Baron-Cohen proposes that they all share the characteristic of zero degrees of empathy. (His “empathy quotient” scale is available in the book or online, with an instant numerical score that is translated into degrees of empathy from zero to six, or super empathy.)

Out of curiosity, I took the questionnaire, with these results:

Your score: 55
0 - 32 = low (most people with Asperger Syndrome or high-functioning autism score about 20)
33 - 52 = average (most women score about 47 and most men score about 42)
53 - 63 is above average
64 - 80 is very high
80 is maximum

So, I'm no Mother Teresa, but I'm pretty empathetic in the standard sense of the word. I had to score myself lower on some forms of social interaction, because I was late in learning the rules and still sometimes get a little wrapped up in myself rather than listening completely to others' feelings, and I have social anxiety, so I don't easily interact with strangers. I am good at explaining people's (often seemingly irrational) behaviour, and am very 'feelings' based [I score high on that section of the Meyers-Briggs, being an INFP). However, on this questionnaire I score very high when it comes to feelings about animals and empathy for what is going on in terms of news programmes and movies. Not bad for someone with one of those personality disorders (borderline), albeit a relatively high-functioning one.

I do know people who would score very low. One would score in the zero positive range (as would most people with autism), I suspect, even though he is not autistic. A few people in my early life would score low as well, more on the negative side. The questionnaire results don't plot you on the spectrum; I'm inferring from the questions where they would go.

Overall it is an interesting hypothesis, although it certainly does not explain evil completely. I may have to see about getting a look at this book, The Science of Evil by Simon Baron-Cohen, which does have a Kindle edition, although I think I would get it in physical form in case I want to lend it to a friend who has an interest in psychology; it's just a couple of dollars more.