Injustice Sensitivity, Rumination and Maintaining Wellbeing

Something is not fair. You’ve witnessed or experienced something that violates what you know to be morally correct. You intensely feel the harm, and you cannot move away from this. You feel driven to make things right. You want to fight for fairness, equality and a world which is just. Sometimes this strong moral compass drives you to make changes, to campaign or to support those who need it. But other times it leaves you stuck, hopeless, spiralling inside your mind, as thoughts of the injustice repeat like an unending alarm call. You ruminate and you stay in a state of alertness, stress and frustration. It’s exhausting and meanwhile everyone else seems to have moved on.

Injustice Sensitivity

Many autistic people experience injustice sensitivity. This can be thought of as a strong internal moral compass, underpinned by high levels of empathy and rules around the correct ways to morally behave. This phenomenon appears so commonly in autistic individuals, that it featured in our White Paper: ‘Autism, Girls and Keeping It All Inside’ (2022). Here, we noted: ‘a strong sense of social justice or moral compass – likely to stick up for the underdog in whatever way they are able to’ as a potential indicator of an internalised autism presentation.

Injustice sensitivity can mean autistic people are more likely to challenge hierarchical rules or assumptions, prioritising fairness and consistent treatment of all people, as well as animals and the planet. This may be valued more highly than sticking with the status quo or maintaining social norms. This has societal benefits, as well as benefits for autistic people themselves. A clear sense of right and wrong can allow someone to live a life which aligns strongly with their values, and which means they focus their energies on projects and causes which feel purposeful and important.

Additionally, injustice sensitivity can fuel action, when others may otherwise sit back. For example, Greta Thunberg who was so distressed when learning about climate change at school, that she started the school strike for climate. This has gone on to trigger global protests, and Greta Thunberg has spoken extensively about the dangers facing our planet.

Rumination

Whilst injustice sensitivity can be a highly valued part of an autistic person’s experience, it also has the potential to cause difficulties. One such difficulty is that of rumination. Many autistic people can engage in monotropic thinking. This is to say they can remain focused on one thing, at the exclusion of others (Murray, Lesser & Lawson, 2005). When the area of focus is injustice, and this remains unresolved, it can therefore be extremely difficult to shift and think about anything else. Often, injustice can lack closure or resolution, particularly when this is happening on a large scale, such as war or systemic oppression. With no resolution, an autistic mind can become stuck or overwhelmed. Additionally, this may be paired with intense empathic attunement to others suffering, sometimes heightened by the fact many autistic people have experienced prejudice or discrimination within their own lives (Dubin, 2014).

In a state of rumination someone may involuntarily keep thinking about why something happened, whether it should/shouldn’t have happened and questioning how the issue can be resolved. Paired with a monotropic thinking style, this has the potential to significantly impact upon an autistic person’s quality of life and daily functioning. Let’s link this also with the fact that we are exposed to more information about injustices than ever before. We have 24-hour global news coverage, social media and increased public conversations about inequality. There are therefore increased triggers for injustice sensitivity, with the potential for rumination to impact on quality of life more frequently too.

Maintaining Values Based Living, whilst Reducing Rumination

Of course, the opposite of rumination may be to give no thought to something at all. This is unlikely to be a possible, or even a desired outcome for many autistic people. How then can autistic people manage injustice sensitivity, so this fuels values-based decisions, but without significant negative impact on mental health and functioning?

Firstly, we need to recognise and value moral integrity. It is no use to say: ‘I am too sensitive’ or ‘I shouldn’t care about this thing so much’, as this creates an internal conflict. We do not want to be dulling our morals or values. Indeed, some autistic people may struggle to stop thinking about an injustice, for fear that this means they are complicit with or excusing the harm which has been done. Clearly and accurately acknowledging the harm is therefore key, for example: ‘When I observed that behaviour, it was bullying and this was wrong. It was an abuse of power and led to someone being emotionally harmed. Such behaviour should not happen.’ Whilst this does not resolve the issue, it places a pause on rumination. Acknowledgment is a significant action, whereby someone confirms their values and ensures they have named why something was wrong.

Additionally, it can be useful to consider what exists within one’s own locus of control. For example, reminding oneself: ‘It is not within my control to stop a war from happening. However, I can write to my local MP, and I can donate to an aid charity who support victims of war.’ This engages with the problem-solving component of rumination, identifying that which can be done, and that which cannot. Importantly, this helps to distinguish what we are responsible for – our own behaviours and attitudes, and what we are not – other people’s behaviours and attitudes.

Most importantly, we should all have the space to recognise both our limits, and our non-negotiables, for example telling oneself – ‘I will always speak up if I hear somebody making a derogatory or dehumanising comment about neurodivergent people’. However, we are all allowed boundaries and limits on what we feel able to hold or manage. For example, saying to oneself: – ‘I may not challenge a prejudice comment when this is said in front of a large group, as I can become overwhelmed and unable to speak. However, I can challenge these comments in smaller groups where I am more able to use my voice’.

Finally, it may be useful to try and build symbolic and clear transitions for when we are thinking about a social justice issue and when we are not. For example, if going on social media is likely to trigger concerns about discrimination, bullying or global issues we may like to pick places or times when we will engage with this, before purposefully moving to another activity. This transition can be framed as an act of self-care, allowing us to re-fuel and to focus our energies on what we can control. Additionally, movement may act as useful transition, for example shaking, stimming or going for a walk, to discharge stress or threat responses from the body.

Importantly, in a world which is not set up with autistic people in mind, caring for and honouring your own boundaries and limits, is an act of social justice in itself.