Do you view yourself as someone who has "empathy"?

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Probably you do. But how much empathy? And toward whom?
 
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Something like that is an attribute that others should say about you-not you about yourself. If you said you did view yourself as empathetic you probably aren’t.
 
OKComputer said:
Something like that is an attribute that others should say about you-not you about yourself. If you said you did view yourself as empathetic you probably aren’t.
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Maybe, if one views empathetic as a positive personality trait claiming you have it might be a lack of humility, but it is not a clear indicator of lack of empathy. A person may clearly be empathetic and claim to be, also.
 
I am sorry for the possible misunderstanding. The question was not intended to be answered publicly, it was only to urge you to answer it inside… to investigate your attitude, and see if you can think of yourself as someone with empathy toward others. And of course find out just how would you express that empathy - if any?
 
My opinion is that empathy is not a strong trait in my family. I joke that it’s not in our DNA. I just know others for whom empathy is easier, more natural. Friends and coworkers who have told me I that I’m empathetic but I’ve long felt like it’s something I have to work at.

I found this article recently and it really resonated. I think my cognitive empathy game is strong but my emotional less so. That latter is what most people think of, including myself, so I appreciate a broader look.
 
DIERM said:
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OKComputer:
Something like that is an attribute that others should say about you-not you about yourself. If you said you did view yourself as empathetic you probably aren’t.
Click to expand...
Maybe, if one views empathetic as a positive personality trait claiming you have it might be a lack of humility, but it is not a clear indicator of lack of empathy. A person may clearly be empathetic and claim to be, also.
Click to expand...
It’s not necessarily a positive trait. It’s just an ability to sense what someone else is feeling (psychopaths lack it). So you could use it in a negative sense: I understand how this person will feel if I do X so I can manipulate her to doing Y. Or in a positive way: I understand what it feels like for someone to be hungry to I’ll donate to famine relief.

Evolutionary psychology would suggest that it’s evolutionary beneficial to enable individuals to form groups.

A lot of people confuse it with feeling benelovent.
 
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Sometimes. I have empathy toward mentally ill people because I myself am mentally ill (I have depression and psychosis). I know what it’s like to feel like I am being attacked by demons or that I have no control over my own thoughts.
 
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