Abstract
Most studies examining empathy in psychopathy and autism agree that different components of empathy are implicated in each condition. Most of these studies, however, have relied on a two-component model of empathy (emotional and cognitive). Our study examines how psychopathic and autistic traits may be associated with the components of a more differentiated model of empathy that includes affective (i.e., feeling what others feel), cognitive (i.e., knowing what others feel), and motivational/sympathetic components (i.e., caring what others feel). The study included 884 college students who completed self-report measures of psychopathic and autistic traits as well as the three components of empathy. Using path modeling, we found that of the three components of empathy, sympathetic empathy was uniquely negatively associated with psychopathic traits and each of its dimensions whereas cognitive empathy was uniquely negatively associated with autistic traits and each of its dimensions. Affective empathy was not uniquely associated with either psychopathic or autistic traits. Our findings suggest that sympathetic aspects of empathy are uniquely implicated in psychopathy and cognitive aspects of empathy are uniquely implicated in autism, but neither condition may have core problems with affective empathy. We suggest that etiological models and treatment approaches might consider the implications of a three-component model of empathy for psychopathy and autism.