BGU Researcher Pioneers Empathic Disequilibrium Theory in Autism, Anxiety, Psychopathy and Schizophrenia Studies

Prof. Florina Uzefovsky, a psychology researcher at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, has introduced a new concept called empathic disequilibrium to better explain social traits associated with various clinical conditions, including autism and schizophrenia.

Empathic disequilibrium refers to an imbalance between the two key components of empathy: cognitive empathy (CE) and emotional empathy (EE). Cognitive empathy is the ability to recognize and understand others’ emotions, while emotional empathy involves resonating with and appropriately responding to those emotions. Uzefovsky’s research suggests that this imbalance plays a crucial role in shaping social behavior across different psychological conditions.

Unlike emotional empathy, which involves sharing or mirroring another’s emotions, cognitive empathy focuses on intellectual understanding. It’s about “knowing” what someone else is feeling, rather than “feeling” it yourself.

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A core element of cognitive empathy is the ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes, to see things from their point of view. This involves understanding their circumstances, beliefs, and values.

Research has shown that empathic disequilibrium can play a significant role in understanding conditions like autism. Studies have indicated that autistic individuals may often exhibit a tendency towards heightened emotional empathy relative to cognitive empathy.

This imbalance can lead to experiences of being overwhelmed by the emotions of others. Research is also being done to explore the connection of empathic disequilibrium to other conditions such as anxiety, psychopathic traits, and schizophrenia.

In essence, empathic disequilibrium highlights the importance of the balance between “feeling with” and “understanding” others.

Professor Uzefovsky’s research has progressively extended the concept of empathic disequilibrium to encompass autism, anxiety, psychopathic traits, and, most recently, schizophrenia.

Her findings about schizophrenia were published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research at the beginning of December.

Her findings about autism have been published in the journals Molecular Autism, Autism Research, and Autism in Adulthood.

Empathic disequilibrium predicted schizophrenia better than empathy alone, she and her fellow researchers from Harvard and Yale Universities found.

“I invite and encourage my fellow researchers and practitioners to utilize empathic disequilibrium in their work as a powerful diagnostic and potential treatment tool,” says Prof. Uzefovsky.