Human beings are social animals. It is important for our species to engage in healthy and fruitful relationships. Altruism and cooperative behaviors help us to improve these bonding relationships and are helpful for the survival of the species. In this framework, empathy and interpersonal space (IPS) are two crucial factors for social interactions. On the one hand, individuals with better empathic abilities will have lasting relationships and a predisposition for cooperativeness and altruistic behaviors that are fundamental skills to develop in large groups. On the other hand, the development of maladaptive or dysfunctional personality traits can hinder these processes, leading to impairment in relationships. Evidence from cognitive neuroscience demonstrate that empathy, social space, and psychopathy seem to rely – at least partially – on a common neural network, in turn being intrinsically linked and potentially influencing each other. The general aim of the present work is to disentangle the relationship between these constructs, investigating how personality and psychopathic traits in the general population shape and modulate interpersonal space and empathic abilities. Furthermore, this contribution presents an exploration of the effects of brain damage on social cognition, emotional response, and social space. In particular, Study 1, investigates the relationship between mentalizing abilities, empathy, psychopathic and maladaptive personality traits in a large (N=309) healthy population. Results show the relation between empathic abilities, personality traits and psychopathy, highlighting the relationship between primary and secondary psychopathic dimensions and maladaptive personality traits (specifically those related to disinhibition, impulsivity, and aggression), and between the latter and social sensitivity (as assessed by a complex emotions recognition task). Given the results of Study 1, Study 2 further explores the relationship between empathic abilities, personality, and psychopathic traits, taking into consideration their influence of IPS extension. This study sheds light on the role of impulsivity, aggressivity, along with psychopathic features and cognitive empathy in shaping social space. In particular, I provide a first novel evidence that IPS is primarily influenced by disinhibition and the ability to assume the others point of view (i.e., perspective taking ability). Both of these factors are associated with a shorter comfort distance. Finally, Study 3 is aimed at exploring how brain damages causing frontal behavioral symptoms affect IPS and empathy, in light of the fact that behavioral dysregulation has been proposed as a crucial determinant of interpersonal space changes. Study 3 also takes into account possible links between IPS and empathy, given their common neural substrates. The results do not confirm that IPS size is altered in patients with frontal behavioral dysfunctions, as compared to neurologically healthy controls. However, the exploration of the performance on an individual base highlights the presence of two different profiles: a portray of positive symptomatology entails a reduction of IPS extension, while a profile characterized by negative symptoms seem to enlarge IPS. Finally, Study 3 reveals a selective impairment of affective empathy in brain-damaged patients. In conclusion, the present research project offers novel insights on the complex relations between psychopathic and personality traits, the cognitive and affect sides of empathy, and their impact on the regulation of the IPS size in healthy individuals. This evidence extends current understanding of psychopathological conditions characterized by lack of empathy and behavioral dysregulation. Additionally, the last study on brain-damaged patients suggests that the interpersonal distance and the affective side of empathy may be affected, in a non-linear way, by brain damages concurrently causing behavioral dysfunctions.

Gli esseri umani sono animali sociali. Altruismo e comportamenti cooperativi migliorano le relazioni tra conspecifici aiutando nel contempo la sopravvivenza della specie. In questo quadro, l'empatia e lo spazio interpersonale (IPS) sono due fattori cruciali per le interazioni tra conspecifici. Da un lato, gli individui con capacità empatiche migliori avranno relazioni durature e una predisposizione per cooperazione e comportamenti altruistici che sono abilità fondamentali per gli animali sociali. Dall’altro, lo sviluppo di tratti di personalità disfunzionali può ostacolare questi processi, portando ad una compromissione delle relazioni. Recentemente, le neuroscienze cognitive hanno dimostrato che l'empatia, lo spazio sociale e la psicopatia sembrano condividere, almeno in parte, una rete neurale comune. Lo scopo generale del presente lavoro è di investigare la relazione tra questi costrutti, indagando come personalità e tratti psicopatici nella popolazione generale modulano lo spazio interpersonale e le abilità empatiche. Inoltre, questo contributo presenta un'esplorazione degli effetti di lesioni cerebrali sulla cognizione sociale, sull’empatia e sullo spazio sociale. In particolare, lo Studio 1 indaga in una grande popolazione non clinica (N = 309), la relazione tra Teoria della Mente, empatia, tratti di personalità psicopatici e disadattivi. I risultati mostrano un’associazione tra empatia, psicopatia e tratti della personalità, evidenziando la relazione tra dimensioni diverse della psicopatia e tratti della personalità disadattivi (in particolare quelli legati a disinibizione, impulsività e aggressività), e tra questi ultimi e e la teoria della mente. Dati i risultati dello Studio 1, lo Studio 2 esplora ulteriormente la relazione tra abilità empatiche, personalità e tratti psicopatici, prendendo in considerazione la loro influenza sullo spazio sociale. Questo studio mette in luce il ruolo di impulsività e aggressività, insieme alle caratteristiche psicopatiche e alla dimensione cognitiva dell’empatia, nel plasmare lo spazio sociale. In particolare, è fornita una prima prova che l'IPS sia principalmente influenzato dalla disinibizione e dalla capacità di assumere il punto di vista degli altri. Entrambi questi fattori sono associati ad una riduzione dell’IPS. Infine, lo Studio 3 ha lo scopo di esplorare come danni cerebrali che causano una sindrome frontale associata a sindrome disesecutiva, influenzino l'IPS e l'empatia, alla luce del fatto che la disregolazione comportamentale è stata proposta come determinante cruciale dei cambiamenti dello spazio interpersonale. Lo Studio 3 valuta anche possibili collegamenti tra IPS ed empatia, dati i loro comuni substrati neurali. I risultati non mostrano un’alterazione dello spazio sociale nei pazienti con disfunzioni del comportamento, rispetto ai controlli neurologicamente sani. Tuttavia, l'esplorazione della performance di ciascun paziente evidenzia la presenza di due profili diversi: un quadro caratterizzato da sintomatologia positiva comporta una riduzione dell'estensione IPS, mentre un profilo caratterizzato da sintomi negativi sembra allargare l'IPS. Infine, lo Studio 3 rivela una compromissione selettiva dell'empatia affettiva nei pazienti con danni cerebrali. In conclusione, il presente progetto di ricerca offre nuove evidenze sulle complesse relazioni tra tratti di personalità, psicopatia e dimensioni (cognitiva e affettiva) dell’empatia, e come queste incidono sulla regolazione dell'IPS in individui sani. Questa evidenza estende la comprensione attuale delle condizioni psicopatologiche caratterizzate da mancanza di empatia e disregolazione comportamentale. Inoltre, l'ultimo studio sui pazienti cerebrolesi suggerisce che la distanza interpersonale e la dimensione affettiva dell’empatia possono essere influenzati, in modo non lineare, da danni cerebrali che provocano contemporaneamente disfunzioni comportamentali.

(2019). Disentangling the social brain: Interactions between empathic abilities, personality traits and space boundaries. (Tesi di dottorato, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, 2019).

Disentangling the social brain: Interactions between empathic abilities, personality traits and space boundaries

MADDALUNO, OTTAVIA
2019

Abstract

Human beings are social animals. It is important for our species to engage in healthy and fruitful relationships. Altruism and cooperative behaviors help us to improve these bonding relationships and are helpful for the survival of the species. In this framework, empathy and interpersonal space (IPS) are two crucial factors for social interactions. On the one hand, individuals with better empathic abilities will have lasting relationships and a predisposition for cooperativeness and altruistic behaviors that are fundamental skills to develop in large groups. On the other hand, the development of maladaptive or dysfunctional personality traits can hinder these processes, leading to impairment in relationships. Evidence from cognitive neuroscience demonstrate that empathy, social space, and psychopathy seem to rely – at least partially – on a common neural network, in turn being intrinsically linked and potentially influencing each other. The general aim of the present work is to disentangle the relationship between these constructs, investigating how personality and psychopathic traits in the general population shape and modulate interpersonal space and empathic abilities. Furthermore, this contribution presents an exploration of the effects of brain damage on social cognition, emotional response, and social space. In particular, Study 1, investigates the relationship between mentalizing abilities, empathy, psychopathic and maladaptive personality traits in a large (N=309) healthy population. Results show the relation between empathic abilities, personality traits and psychopathy, highlighting the relationship between primary and secondary psychopathic dimensions and maladaptive personality traits (specifically those related to disinhibition, impulsivity, and aggression), and between the latter and social sensitivity (as assessed by a complex emotions recognition task). Given the results of Study 1, Study 2 further explores the relationship between empathic abilities, personality, and psychopathic traits, taking into consideration their influence of IPS extension. This study sheds light on the role of impulsivity, aggressivity, along with psychopathic features and cognitive empathy in shaping social space. In particular, I provide a first novel evidence that IPS is primarily influenced by disinhibition and the ability to assume the others point of view (i.e., perspective taking ability). Both of these factors are associated with a shorter comfort distance. Finally, Study 3 is aimed at exploring how brain damages causing frontal behavioral symptoms affect IPS and empathy, in light of the fact that behavioral dysregulation has been proposed as a crucial determinant of interpersonal space changes. Study 3 also takes into account possible links between IPS and empathy, given their common neural substrates. The results do not confirm that IPS size is altered in patients with frontal behavioral dysfunctions, as compared to neurologically healthy controls. However, the exploration of the performance on an individual base highlights the presence of two different profiles: a portray of positive symptomatology entails a reduction of IPS extension, while a profile characterized by negative symptoms seem to enlarge IPS. Finally, Study 3 reveals a selective impairment of affective empathy in brain-damaged patients. In conclusion, the present research project offers novel insights on the complex relations between psychopathic and personality traits, the cognitive and affect sides of empathy, and their impact on the regulation of the IPS size in healthy individuals. This evidence extends current understanding of psychopathological conditions characterized by lack of empathy and behavioral dysregulation. Additionally, the last study on brain-damaged patients suggests that the interpersonal distance and the affective side of empathy may be affected, in a non-linear way, by brain damages concurrently causing behavioral dysfunctions.
BOLOGNINI, NADIA
empatia; psicopatia; personalità; spazio sociale; sensibilità sociale
empathy; psychopathy; personality; interpersonal space; sensibilità sociale
M-PSI/02 - PSICOBIOLOGIA E PSICOLOGIA FISIOLOGICA
English
8-feb-2019
PSICOLOGIA, LINGUISTICA E NEUROSCIENZE COGNITIVE - 77R
31
2017/2018
open
(2019). Disentangling the social brain: Interactions between empathic abilities, personality traits and space boundaries. (Tesi di dottorato, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, 2019).
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/10281/241171
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