Neuropsychological Approach to the Empathy Construct: Cognitive and Neuroanatomical Aspects

Multidimensional models define Empathy as a construct that includes both affective (AE; affective empathy) and cognitive (CE; cognitive empathy) components. The aim of the present work is to present the ‘state-of-the-art’ regarding the association between Empathy and Executive Functions (EF) and to...

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Main Authors: Vanessa Arán Filippetti, Mariana B. López, María Cristina Richaud
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: CAEN 2012-07-01
Series:Cuadernos de Neuropsicologia
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.neuropsicologia.cl/cnps/index.php/cnps/article/view/103
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spelling doaj-7fcad687a0104a7fb0a5d490d83cb3842020-11-24T21:39:15ZengCAENCuadernos de Neuropsicologia0718-41232012-07-01616383Neuropsychological Approach to the Empathy Construct: Cognitive and Neuroanatomical AspectsVanessa Arán FilippettiMariana B. LópezMaría Cristina RichaudMultidimensional models define Empathy as a construct that includes both affective (AE; affective empathy) and cognitive (CE; cognitive empathy) components. The aim of the present work is to present the ‘state-of-the-art’ regarding the association between Empathy and Executive Functions (EF) and to propose an integration of the ideas in this respect. To this end, a conceptual framework is adopted and a number of studies which conceive AE and CE as complementary but differentiated components from either a functional and a neurobiological point of view are thoroughly revised; the two components would be jointly activated during social interaction, but they might act separately as evident, for instance, in cerebral damage and in Psychopathology. From a multidimensional perspective, the relation Empathy - EF could be explain from the relation CE/Theory of Mind - EF, as well as by means of a model that acknowledge the influence of top-down processes - across executive functions - during the empathic process. Adopting a multidimensional view of Empathy is not only relevant from a functional point of view, but also for the diagnosis, assessment and comprehension of the empathic deficit in the neurological and psychiatric clinic.http://www.neuropsicologia.cl/cnps/index.php/cnps/article/view/103Cognitive EmpathyAffective EmpathyTheory of MindExecutive FunctionsNeuroanatomical SubstratesEmpathic Dysfunction
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Vanessa Arán Filippetti
Mariana B. López
María Cristina Richaud
spellingShingle Vanessa Arán Filippetti
Mariana B. López
María Cristina Richaud
Neuropsychological Approach to the Empathy Construct: Cognitive and Neuroanatomical Aspects
Cuadernos de Neuropsicologia
Cognitive Empathy
Affective Empathy
Theory of Mind
Executive Functions
Neuroanatomical Substrates
Empathic Dysfunction
author_facet Vanessa Arán Filippetti
Mariana B. López
María Cristina Richaud
author_sort Vanessa Arán Filippetti
title Neuropsychological Approach to the Empathy Construct: Cognitive and Neuroanatomical Aspects
title_short Neuropsychological Approach to the Empathy Construct: Cognitive and Neuroanatomical Aspects
title_full Neuropsychological Approach to the Empathy Construct: Cognitive and Neuroanatomical Aspects
title_fullStr Neuropsychological Approach to the Empathy Construct: Cognitive and Neuroanatomical Aspects
title_full_unstemmed Neuropsychological Approach to the Empathy Construct: Cognitive and Neuroanatomical Aspects
title_sort neuropsychological approach to the empathy construct: cognitive and neuroanatomical aspects
publisher CAEN
series Cuadernos de Neuropsicologia
issn 0718-4123
publishDate 2012-07-01
description Multidimensional models define Empathy as a construct that includes both affective (AE; affective empathy) and cognitive (CE; cognitive empathy) components. The aim of the present work is to present the ‘state-of-the-art’ regarding the association between Empathy and Executive Functions (EF) and to propose an integration of the ideas in this respect. To this end, a conceptual framework is adopted and a number of studies which conceive AE and CE as complementary but differentiated components from either a functional and a neurobiological point of view are thoroughly revised; the two components would be jointly activated during social interaction, but they might act separately as evident, for instance, in cerebral damage and in Psychopathology. From a multidimensional perspective, the relation Empathy - EF could be explain from the relation CE/Theory of Mind - EF, as well as by means of a model that acknowledge the influence of top-down processes - across executive functions - during the empathic process. Adopting a multidimensional view of Empathy is not only relevant from a functional point of view, but also for the diagnosis, assessment and comprehension of the empathic deficit in the neurological and psychiatric clinic.
topic Cognitive Empathy
Affective Empathy
Theory of Mind
Executive Functions
Neuroanatomical Substrates
Empathic Dysfunction
url http://www.neuropsicologia.cl/cnps/index.php/cnps/article/view/103
work_keys_str_mv AT vanessaaranfilippetti neuropsychologicalapproachtotheempathyconstructcognitiveandneuroanatomicalaspects
AT marianablopez neuropsychologicalapproachtotheempathyconstructcognitiveandneuroanatomicalaspects
AT mariacristinarichaud neuropsychologicalapproachtotheempathyconstructcognitiveandneuroanatomicalaspects
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