Overcoming the Double Empathy Problem Within Pairs of Autistic and Non-autistic Adults Through the Contemplation of Serious Literature

Abstract

Recent research based on the needs of the autistic community has explored the frequent social misunderstandings that arise between autistic and non-autistic people, known as the double empathy problem. Double empathy understandings require both groups to respect neurodiversity by focussing on individuality across groups. This study aimed to explore how literature, through its ability to uncover nuanced emotional response differences between readers, could facilitate double empathy understandings within pairs of autistic and non-autistic adults. A longitudinal, qualitative design was used, with 4 gender-matched pairs. Participants read Of Mice and Men for 1 week, whilst completing a structured, reflective diary. This was followed by 4 one-hour paired reading sessions, where pairs discussed the book and their reflections in depth. Participants were then invited to a final one-on-one interview to discuss their thoughts and experiences of the paired reading sessions. Thematic and literary analysis of the session and interview data revealed four themes (1) The Book as Social Oil; (2) From a World of Difference to a World of Affinity; (3) Emotional Intelligence: From Thinking About to Feeling with; and (4) From Overwhelming to Overcoming. All participants reported having achieved an individualised view of one another to explore their nuanced differences. The non-autistic group reported a more sensitive understanding of what it means to be autistic, while the autistic group overcame concerns about non-autistic people stereotyping autism, and instead reported feeling valued and accommodated by their non-autistic partners.

Challenging Empathic Deficit Models of Autism Through Responses to Serious Literature

“…In this way, literature may therefore be able to move non-autistic participants away from assumptions of pre-set mutuality and social norms (Milton, 2012;Chown, 2014) toward understanding the processes behind the Othering of neurodivergent individuals. Therefore, present findings indicate a potential for literature to promote double empathy understandings between autistic and non-autistic individuals, as shown in Chapple et al (2021b), through a move away from assumptions of mutuality and pre-set social norms.…”

“…Specifically, it is suggested that autistic individuals are more likely to take time in developing common ground and understanding different Others as a result of being more experienced in navigating a lack of mutuality (Milton, 2012 , 2020 ; Chown, 2014 ). In this way, autistic individuals may be more likely to work to sensitively and empathically overcome socio-communicative breakdowns rather than drawing quick conclusions based upon assumed pre-existing mutuality (Milton, 2012 ; Chown, 2014 ; DeBrabander et al, 2019 ; Chapple et al, 2021b ). Autistic writer Joanne Limburg ( 2021 ) expands upon this assumption by arguing that dehumanised individuals, such as those who are autistic, are forced to think about the ways in which modern society is constructed, giving them deeper understandings of the social world.…”

“…While these open and complex empathic understandings are difficult to research with standardised experimental tests (Fletcher-Watson and Bird, 2020 ), the exploration of reflection in response to fictional texts offers a unique way to explore empathic understandings within an ecologically valid context (Chapple et al, 2021b ). Specifically, fiction is argued to simulate the real social world (Mar and Oatley, 2008 ; Waytz et al, 2015 ; Oatley, 2016 ), where readers can embody character perspectives and feelings to achieve felt empathy (Mumper and Gerrig, 2019 ).…”

“…Furthermore, as serious literature prevents fast-paced assumptions based on schematic inference (Mar and Oatley, 2008 ; Koopman and Hakemulder, 2015 ; O'Sullivan et al, 2015 ; Koopman, 2016 ) it might then prompt non-autistic readers to think more empathically about minds different from their own. Therefore, reading may serve to overcome the positioning of different minds as defective (Chapple et al, 2021b ).…”

“…Specifically, participants read Of Mice and Men (Steinbeck, 1937 ) while completing a semi-structured diary that prompted daily reflections on the novel and its characters, with some creative writing tasks upon completion of the novel. The novel was chosen primarily due to its complex exploration of stigma and Othering toward and within groups of disabled characters with inter-sectional marginalized identities (Chapple et al, 2021b ). Additionally, the novel was chosen due to the relative ease of initial access to the minds within realistic texts for inexperienced readers.…”