Justice Sensitivity in ADHD

However, it’s important to note that perceived justice does not always necessarily align with the law, or rules generally. In fact, it can be justice sensitivity that results in breaking rules and laws. For some, this sensitivity reflects a strong internal drive to stand up for what they believe is right, often with a clear-cut view of situations as good versus evil, true versus false. While this moral clarity can lead to acts of advocacy and empathy, it can also result in conflicts, particularly when perceived injustices clash with social or workplace norms.

The ADHD Drive to Fight for Fairness

ADHD tends to come with a heightened emotional intensity, which includes strong responses to perceived unfairness. Barkley (1997) states that people with ADHD may have difficulty moderating their emotional reactions due to differences in executive function and impulse control. This neurobiological wiring can lead to an instinctive and immediate response to perceived wrongdoing. The challenge here is that sometimes that response will be frustration, but it can also overreaction or even rage. Often though, it will involve some form of pushing back, or fighting back, which of course escalates the situation, and given the ADHD person’s refusal to back down when they feel they are morally justified, escalation will continue.

For many with ADHD, this reaction is not a self-serving one. There is often a strong tendency to defend others who they feel are being mistreated. This drive to protect can stem from empathy, a desire for justice, or a personal history of feeling misunderstood or excluded (Shaw et al., 2014). Advocating for others will also come more easily than standing up for oneself, as it externalises the conflict and aligns with a clear sense of moral purpose.

Black-and-White Thinking

Justice sensitivity in ADHD often involves a tendency to view situations in stark terms: right versus wrong, fair versus unfair. This dichotomous thinking can be good in providing a sense of moral clarity and conviction. However, the ADHD person’s relentless pursual of justice can also create challenges:

• Conflict and Confrontation: In their pursuit of fairness, people with ADHD may unintentionally escalate conflicts, particularly if they perceive others as dismissive or indifferent to their concerns.
• Difficulty with Ambiguity: The ADHD brain’s preference for clear outcomes may struggle with situations that involve nuance or compromise, leading to frustration or misunderstanding.
• Emotional Burnout: Constantly fighting for perceived injustices, whether in personal relationships or societal contexts, can be exhausting, especially if outcomes do not align with expectations.

The same traits that make those with ADHD passionate defenders of fairness can also lead to interpersonal challenges. The intensity of their reactions may be misinterpreted as aggression, overreaction, or an inability to “let things go.” This is particularly true in hierarchical settings, where challenging perceived injustices can be seen as insubordination or disruptiveness (such as schools, workplaces, or dealing with the police).

On top of this, the ADHD brain’s impulsivity may lead individuals to speak or act before fully considering the social or professional consequences. While their intentions might be rooted in genuine care or moral conviction, the outcomes can sometimes strain relationships, create misunderstandings, or worse.

Standing Up for Others

One of the most distinctive aspects of ADHD justice sensitivity is the tendency to advocate for others, often more passionately than for oneself. This trait can manifest in various ways:

• Speaking out against bullying, discrimination, or exclusion, even when it comes at personal risk. This can include getting to arguments or even physical altercations in the defense of friends or strangers.
• Defending a colleague who is being unfairly treated, even if it means challenging authority or breaking workplace norms.
• Making complaints to companies, councils, third-parties, etc… to challenge perceived unfairness on behalf of others (this can include ‘taking up their cause’, even if the person in question is not that concerned about it).
• Participating in activism or causes that align with their values, driven by a desire to create a fairer world. This may often come down to arguing obsessively with people on the internet, and getting far too distracted and affected by it.

This altruistic drive reflects the ADHD brain’s heightened empathy and sense of moral obligation. Studies by Decety and Cowell (2014) suggest that justice sensitivity is often accompanied by a strong ability to perspective-take and empathise with others, qualities that fuel advocacy and support. However, it may not be down to empathy at all, for some at least, it is as simple as an obsession with fairness, and frustration with knowing that anyone being unfair is ‘getting away with it’.

Justice Sensitivity as a Strength

While justice sensitivity can lead to conflict, it also provides a foundation for leadership, advocacy, and meaningful change. Many people with ADHD channel their passion for fairness into careers or roles that align with their values, such as teaching, social work, law, or activism. Their willingness to stand up for others and challenge inequities can inspire and motivate those around them.

Understanding the neurological and emotional roots of their justice sensitivity can help those with ADHD navigate conflicts more effectively, such as developing strategies for managing impulsive reactions, that can then transform their passion for fairness into a constructive force.

To Summarise…

ADHD justice sensitivity does not mean following rules or laws set by others, it means following rules and laws set by their own sense of fairness, which can in fact lead to breaking rules and laws set by others if they are seen as unfair in some way. Many rules and laws do not necessarily have room for nuances and other variables that the person with ADHD will have in mind, so they will opt for ignoring those rules and laws, choosing their own moral code instead. It should matter though, that at least some of the time that moral code may actually be fairer than the official rules and laws that are in place. That won’t stop them from getting into trouble, though.

References

• Barkley, R. A. (1997). ADHD and the Nature of Self-Control. Guilford Press.
• Decety, J., & Cowell, J. M. (2014). The complex relation between morality and empathy. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 18(7), 337–339.
• Rubia, K., Halari, R., Cubillo, A., Mohammad, A. M., Brammer, M., & Taylor, E. (2009). Methylphenidate normalises fronto-striatal underactivation during interference inhibition in medication-naive boys with ADHD. Neuropsychologia, 47(3), 923–935.
• Shaw, P., Stringaris, A., Nigg, J., & Leibenluft, E. (2014). Emotion dysregulation in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry, 171(3), 276–293.
• Volkow, N. D., Wang, G. J., Kollins, S. H., Wigal, T. L., Newcorn, J. H., Telang, F., Fowler, J. S., Goldstein, R. Z., Klein, N., Logan, J., Wong, C., & Swanson, J. M. (2009). Evaluating dopamine reward pathway in ADHD. JAMA Psychiatry, 66(10), 1149–1158.