Written by awneitsch on October 4, 2021

THE EMPATHY/SYMPATHY DICHOTOMY…

Mutterings And Murmurs . Social Studies

EMPATHY –

THE ACTION OF UNDERSTANDING, BEING AWARE OF, BEING SENSITIVE TO, AND VICARIOUSLY EXPERIENCING THE THOUGHTS, EMOTIONS, AND FEELINGS OF OTHERS.

SYMPATHY –

A FEELING OF PITY OR SORROW FOR THE DISTRESS OF ANOTHER. MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING OR FEELING BETWEEN PEOPLE. AGREEMENT WITH OR SUPPORT OF AN OPINION OR POSITION.

AT FIRST GLANCE, THESE TWO STATES OF CONSCIENCE SEEM PRETTY MUCH THE SAME THING. THERE ARE SUBTLE DIFFERENCES BY DEFINITION THAT COULD TURN A SITUATION REQUIRING EITHER INTO VARYING DEGREES OF INDIFFERENCE OR COMPASSION IF IT’S REQUIRED.

ON EMPATHY

*Types of empathy

There are three different types of empathy, which can be broken down into:

• Affective empathy- the ability to “feel” the pain or other emotion in relation to others.
• Cognitive empathy- the ability to understand the emotions of others, but only objectively. In order to build better cognitive empathy, remember to reading facial expressions and physical movements. Don’t be quick to judge or assume. One technique is to decipher any feedback provided which will help you better understand others.
• Compassionate empathy- taking feelings to actions. Compassionate empathy goes further than understanding and relating to other people’s situations, but also includes pushing an individual to do something. It moves you to take action.

In contrast, there is also an empathy disorder that can cause someone to care too much.

*Hyper-empathy

There is also such a thing as too much empathy. This is known as a hyper-empathy syndrome. A great way to find out it if you have hyper-empathy is to follow along with this hyper empathy test:

• You not only feel the emotions of others, but you also suffer from it. This results in physical pain that can cause an anxiety disorder.
• You can easily switch from low periods to high periods.
• You strive to solve everyone’s problems to enforce the idealistic image they want of being wanted and valued.
• You are often too overprotective and can undermine others’ self-worth.
• You may often move from too much empathy to resentment. Potentially you’ve experienced a lot of disappointment so you end up isolating yourself.

YOU MAY BE SUFFERING FROM FROM AN ILLNESS THAT IDENTIFIES HUMAN FAILINGS. SURELY THERE IS A PILL THAT CAN HELP YOU BE A BETTER HUMAN.

*Empathy deficit disorder (EDD) is a mental health condition where individuals lack empathy. People with EDD are not in-tune with their emotions and put their needs above others. They find it difficult to form organic and lasting relationships due to their inability to relate or show compassion. Those with empathy deficit disorder are often isolated, as they struggle to form and keep relationships. Being isolated can lead to further psychological issues and become more of a challenge when trying to form relationships but not impossible.

*Why some people lack empathy

*It is hard to pinpoint exactly why some people lack empathy. For the majority of people, empathy is an innate human attribute. Empathy is something people “learn” by the environment and area where they grew up. It is difficult to learn as an adult, but not impossible. Think about your childhood: can you recall the moment in which you first felt empathy for someone? The majority of us can’t answer that. That’s because empathy isn’t taught.

*Individuals who were discouraged to talk about their feelings during childhood may struggle later in life to be empathetic. By never opening up to people and not discussing one’s emotions, this can lead to reserved individuals who learned to ignore their feelings and don’t feel anything about the emotions of others. The suppression of emotions is never healthy and can lead to further mental health issues.

*Individuals who learned to bottle up their emotions at a young age are partly removed from the world. They have difficulties forming and keeping relationships and therefore tend to isolate themselves. They don’t know anything different than to keep their emotions closed-off and not share or listen to others’ emotions. These individuals are probably not even aware that how they operate is different from the norm, and are completely unaware of the ramifications this has on other people’s feelings.

*Yet, this is not the case for all. Just because you grew up in a household where expressing your feelings was rare, that does not mean you have EDD. EDD can also impact people who get too wrapped up in materialistic items. These individuals get high off the rush of having money, power, and status. They often sacrifice many things in order to attain their idea of power or control. These people become separated from their own feelings and associate “being good” with being in control. *

IT’S NO SECRET THAT THE ARCHITECTS AND ENABLERS OF THE CURRENT GENOCIDE LACK EMPATHY. THE TECHNOCRATS, BUREAUCRATS AND FRONT LINE WORKERS HAVE CLEARLY LOST ALL VESTIGES OF HUMANITY EITHER THROUGH IGNORANCE OR MALICE, KNOWING THAT THEIR ACTIONS ARE CAUSING INJURY OR DEATH.

WITH SYMPATHY

#Sympathy is a feeling of care and concern for someone, often someone close, accompanied by a wish to see him better off or happier. Compared to pity, sympathy implies a greater sense of shared similarities together with a more profound personal engagement. However, sympathy, unlike empathy, does not involve a shared perspective or shared emotions, and while the facial expressions of sympathy do convey caring and concern, they do not convey shared distress. Sympathy and empathy often lead to each other, but not always. For instance, it is possible to sympathize with such things as hedgehogs and ladybirds, but not, strictly speaking, to empathize with them. Conversely, psychopaths with absolutely no sympathy for their victims can nonetheless make use of empathy to ensnare or torture them. Sympathy should also be distinguished from benevolence, which is a much more detached and impartial attitude.

#Compassion, or “suffering alongside” someone, is more engaged than simple empathy, and is associated with an active desire to alleviate the suffering of its object. With empathy, I share your emotions; with compassion I not only share your emotions but also elevate them into a universal and transcending experience. Compassion, which builds upon empathy, is one of the main motivators of altruism.

IT’S TRUE THAT PEOPLE OF LOW EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE LACK SYMPATHY AND EMPATHY AND OFTEN HAVE WORDS LIKE JERK, ASSHOLE, OR NARCISSIST APPLIED TO THEM. THEY ARE SMART ENOUGH TO KNOW WHAT THEY WANT AND WHAT THEY THINK THEY DESERVE AT THE EXPENSE OF OTHERS.

I HAVE EMPATHY FOR THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN COERCED INTO MAKING MEDICAL DECISIONS THAT COULD HARM OR KILL THEM BUT SITUATIONALLY HAVE NO SYMPATHY IF THEY SHOULD COME TO HARM FOR MAKING UNINFORMED DECISIONS FOR SUPERFICIAL REASONS. IT TAKES A WHOLE LOTTA LACK OF EMPATHY OR SYMPATHY TO TORTURE AND KILL TENS OF MILLIONS OF PEOPLE. IT’S HAPPENED BEFORE. THESE WERE WARM-UPS FOR WHAT’S HAPPENING NOW.

CAN THERE BE LOVE WITHOUT SYMPATHY OR EMPATHY?

ARE EITHER NEEDED BEFORE HELP IS OFFERED?

I FEEL BAD FOR YOU.

I’M SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS.

IT’S A TOUGH ONE.

TOUGH LUCK!

#Neil Burton MD

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