Autism and a Sense of Justice

In the Cambridge Dictionary, the word “justice” is defined as “fairness in the way people are dealt with.”

For reasons that I can’t quite explain, justice is a concept that resonates deeply with me and with many other autistic individuals I’ve met.

Throughout my life, I can recall countless situations where I felt compelled, even driven, to stand up and do the right thing.

This has been especially true whenever I’ve seen an underdog being unfairly treated or one side holding an advantage over the other.

As I’ve learned more about autism, I’ve come to realize that this strong sense of justice is a common trait among us but I also appreciate that it can lead to misunderstandings and even conflict in certain situations.

In this post, we’ll explore why autistic people often have such a heightened sense of justice, how it’s sometimes misunderstood by others, and how we can balance our strong moral compass with the realities of social relationships.

The Strong Sense of Justice in Autistic Individuals

Justice is as old as humanity’s desire to gather and live in tribes; it’s a fundamental part of what binds societies together.

The ancient Greek philosophers saw justice as one of the cardinal virtues, alongside courage, prudence, and temperance. Early Christian thinkers regarded it as a universal concept, while in his later works, Abraham Maslow would include justice as the fourth item in his list of 14 essential values for being.

While nearly everyone recognizes justice’s importance, for autistic people, this sense often goes much further.

Simon Baron-Cohen suggests that autistic individuals are “highly moral people, have a strong sense of justice, and think deeply about how to be good.”

This heightened moral awareness may stem from a tendency to be more rule-oriented than others. I believe that it’s also rooted in personal experience, as many of us grow up facing exclusion, misunderstanding, or bullying and have firsthand knowledge of what injustice feels like.

From a neurological perspective, autistic brains are particularly adept at pattern recognition and detecting inconsistencies. When we notice a rule being broken, it can stand out like a flashing light, impossible to ignore and demanding attention.

This combination of experience and neurological wiring helps explain why justice is so central to many autistic people’s identities.

Autism, Justice & Estate Agents

One of the best examples of my autistic sense of justice comes from a few years ago when I rented a house. This was a modest two bedroom home that I lived in alone and cared for diligently.

I made sure the place stayed clean and I even carried out a few minor repairs that the landlord had overlooked. By the time my lease was up, I spent an entire day deep cleaning before the check-out inspection. The oven gleamed, the toilets sparkled, and the carpets looked nearly new. You get the point!

When the estate agent arrived to conduct the inspection, they took photographs of everything.

I didn’t think much of it until a few days later when I received an email and realized they were attempting to charge me several hundred pounds for a line of dirt at the very edge of the carpets.

I was furious. It felt like they were trying to take advantage of me. After turning to Reddit, I quickly discovered that I wasn’t alone and there were countless stories from other tenants who had faced similar treatment.

Unfortunately for the estate agent, they had picked the wrong autistic. I made it my mission to understand every aspect of Housing Law and the process for disputing unfair charges. I prepared my case with meticulous detail, ready to escalate as far as necessary.

I suspect I would have taken it all the way to the High Court if needed, but thankfully, it never came to that. As soon as I presented my case, the estate agent immediately backed down and dropped the charges.

Some people may have felt it wasn’t worth the hassle and just paid the fee. For me though, it was never about the money. It was about the principle. It was about fairness. And I suspect like many of you reading, when something feels unjust, I find it impossible to look the other way.

What Causes Autistic Justice Sensitivity?

There are a number of reasons why autistic people are thought to have such a heightened sense of justice.

Pattern Recognition and Broken Rules

One reason is that our brains are wired to notice patterns and more importantly, when those patterns are broken.

Scientifically speaking, autistic individuals often demonstrate “increased hippocampus-mediated pattern separation“.

In plain English, that simply means the part of the brain responsible for memory and learning is better at distinguishing things that are similar but slightly different.

When we apply this heightened sensitivity to rules, it makes perfect sense why rule-breaking feels so obvious and glaring to us.

We notice when the pattern is disturbed, and when others without this same ability don’t pick up on it, we can stand out.

This sensitivity to broken patterns can create a deep sense of frustration, especially when the unfairness or inconsistency is ignored by those around us.

Black-and-White Thinking

Another reason is that we often think more literally than others and we have a tendency to see complex constructs in black and white, with little room for grey.

This literal style of thinking means we tend to take rules and policies at face value. For instance, if a workplace has a policy about punctuality and we see a colleague arriving late without facing any consequences we can feel frustrated.

What might escape us in that moment is the wider context. Let’s say that the colleague is a single parent managing a school run before work and they’ve had a difficult morning with the children.

While others might apply the grey to this situation and interpret it more flexibly, we might simply see the black (i.e. the time required to be at work) and the white (i.e. the fact that the colleague is late) with nothing in between.

Why Others Misunderstand Our Autistic Sense of Justice

As you can appreciate from this example, it’s easy to see why those around us may feel confused or even upset by our rigid approach to rules and justice.

To an outsider, our insistence on fairness can come across as stubborn or unnecessarily confrontational. They might perceive it as a refusal to let things go or worse still, interpret it as a lack of empathy.

In some cases, autistic individuals who stand firm on issues of justice may even be labeled as “difficult” or “disruptive,” particularly in workplaces or social settings.

What’s often not understood is that our sense of justice isn’t about wanting to pick a fight, from our perspective it’s often about authenticity and integrity.

Another thing that’s misunderstood is that our motivation often comes from a deep-rooted empathy for those who may be wronged. Instead of lacking compassion and feeling, it’s a fierce drive to protect fairness and ensure that others are protected, especially those in vulnerable positions.

The key is better understanding and communication, to help others can appreciate that our actions aren’t about making waves. More often than not we’re trying to advocate for what’s right and coming from a good, and genuine place.

Conclusion

Those of us with autism can often have a deeply ingrained sense of justice that’s rooted in both our neurological wiring and lived experiences.

While we’re driven to do what’s right, our moral compass can also lead to misunderstandings, especially when those around us interpret our actions as difficult or confrontational.

Sometimes however, all it takes is better communication so that those around us can see that our passion for justice stems not from stubbornness but from empathy and integrity.

The challenge is in trying to find a balance but by constantly being self-aware and with the right support, we can use our strong moral compass to not only advocate for what’s right, but also to strengthen our relationships with those around us.