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League_Girl
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23 Sep 2019, 12:51 pm

I keep reading how empaths autistic people are because they can feel other peoples emotions and feed off them and they call it having too much empathy.



But I am the opposite, I never felt peoples emotions or their feelings even when they would be crying or shouting and being upset. I am always numb and feel nothing. I used to think I was a possible sociopath but a good one because I don't go around torturing animals and people. I even went to their forums and saw they are nothing like me because I don't get a joy of taking advantage of people and using them.



Is there anyone who is the opposite of having too much empathy?


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red_doghubb
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23 Sep 2019, 12:57 pm

I either have empathy or don't. Most of the time I don't. I wouldn't say I'm numb, I just don't give a sh#*. About humans, that is. With animals it's a totally different story. Give me the choice between a drowning human and animal and I'll save the animal.

I had a lot as a kid, but think that I was worn down over time by more exposure to the shortsighted, vile, avaricious, human race.



WalkerTR
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23 Sep 2019, 1:05 pm

I saw a documentary about an 8 year old girl being separated from her parents due to immigration laws in north Korea and it really disturbed me and I felt a lot of empathy. My daughter was about the same age at the time too.

If you could watch that and feel nothing then you would qualify as having zero empathy. I think that would be the ultimate test.


When it comes to day-to-day stuff like someone losing an object I don't really feel anything.



kraftiekortie
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23 Sep 2019, 1:07 pm

I believe you have some humans who are vile, avaricious, etc....but I find that most aren't. I guess it's a matter of a person's experience how one views humanity. I guess if I've been screwed throughout life----that I would have a dim view of humanity, too. I have been screwed.....but I have been the recipient of caring, too.

Am I an Empath? Probably not. I tend to feel "sympathy" more than "empathy." "Empathy" comes with me actually experiencing before what a particular person has experienced.



red_doghubb
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23 Sep 2019, 1:08 pm

WalkerTR wrote:
I saw a documentary about an 8 year old girl being separated from her parents due to immigration laws in north Korea and it really disturbed me and I felt a lot of empathy. My daughter was about the same age at the time too.

If you could watch that and feel nothing then you would qualify as having zero empathy. I think that would be the ultimate test.


When it comes to day-to-day stuff like someone losing an object I don't really feel anything.


People immigrate to NK?! did you mean SK?



Last edited by red_doghubb on 23 Sep 2019, 1:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.

red_doghubb
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23 Sep 2019, 1:09 pm

kraftiekortie wrote:
I believe you have some humans who are vile, avaricious, etc....but I find that most aren't. I guess it's a matter of a person's experience how one views humanity. I guess if I've been screwed throughout life----that I would have a dim view of humanity, too. I have been screwed.....but I have been the recipient of caring, too.

Am I an Empath? Probably not. I tend to feel "sympathy" more than "empathy." "Empathy" comes with me actually experiencing before what a particular person has experienced.



yeah I would say I have sympathy, depending, but not empathy.



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23 Sep 2019, 1:23 pm

League_Girl wrote:
But I am the opposite, I never felt peoples emotions or their feelings even when they would be crying or shouting and being upset.

People who have an Aspergers syndrome are this way. Beside of this people who feel to much empathy may be autistic too but their condition it's a totally different thing.
League_Girl wrote:
Is there anyone who is the opposite of having too much empathy?

I'm this way too.


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23 Sep 2019, 1:33 pm

I have been trying to work out what empathy and sympathy is all about. I can be very sympathetic and really feel for people in bad situations. However, somehow empathy... Even though many people explained it to me and I kind of just about get it, I am still a bit puzzled.
Isabella gave me links to three tests. One aas about empathy. When I was answering cartain questions I was thinking "No one can know what the other person is thinking etc". Anyway. I did the test ad I could not see through the questions to get what the test was implying. I was rather mystified, so I just answered them all as truthfully and as honestly as I could. Two questions were more of a guess as both answers were not the ones I would have answered but I had to pick the closest options.

The results absolutely shocked me. Either there is something up with the test or it is me! Haha! I had 11 out of 80. Thatis almost no empathy. How can it be? I am very sympathetic and feel for people. But how can I feel for people but have very little empathy? I just don't get this at the moment! :oops:


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WalkerTR
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23 Sep 2019, 1:54 pm

red_doghubb wrote:
WalkerTR wrote:
I saw a documentary about an 8 year old girl being separated from her parents due to immigration laws in north Korea and it really disturbed me and I felt a lot of empathy. My daughter was about the same age at the time too.

If you could watch that and feel nothing then you would qualify as having zero empathy. I think that would be the ultimate test.


When it comes to day-to-day stuff like someone losing an object I don't really feel anything.


People immigrate to NK?! did you mean SK?


Turns out the girl was two years old and the family made it,they were running into a foreign embassy while they were in North Korea trying to escape.

I didn't they made it cos I switched off the TV due to being disturbed.

There's actually a photo of them being stopped by the guards but when I try to post it here wp doesn't let

me.

This relates to the subject of the thread cos if someone were to look at this photo and feel nothing it would show a complete lack of empathy



Last edited by WalkerTR on 23 Sep 2019, 2:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Fnord
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23 Sep 2019, 2:05 pm

League_Girl wrote:
I keep reading how empaths autistic people are because they can feel other peoples emotions and feed off them and they call it having too much empathy...
If by this you mean someone having a "psychic" or "supernatural" ability, then I'd have to disagree.

But if you mean someone who has developed the observational skills to correctly assume another person's emotional state most of the time, then I can go along with that.

Back to your original question ... I've always been good at discerning another person's extreme emotional states, but only from vocal inflections, expressions, and posture, and only when I'm consciously trying to figure out what's going on. This came in handy as a child when my father would get into one of his moods and I needed to know if it was safe to be within an arm's reach of him. It became even more of a benefit when I started supervising workers and interviewing applicants -- I can always tell when someone is struggling to give an answer that is honest, but not too honest.

Everybody lies; the only variable is what they will lie about.


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23 Sep 2019, 2:17 pm

It changes with me. There are some people when sometimes i feel like we're one of a kind. Like we share one mind. Especially people with problems i feel very deeply. But some people i can't relate to at all.



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23 Sep 2019, 2:30 pm

Not being an empath doesn't mean you are automatically a psychopath.

Not giving a s**t is not psychopathic, although NT people who bully are obviously not giving a s**t about the victim's feelings (doesn't mean you're automatically a bully if you don't give a s**t about people though).


I am an empath by the way. People often tell me that I think too much about others before myself. Also I can get very sensitive to other people's emotions.


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red_doghubb
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23 Sep 2019, 2:40 pm

I have a neighbor who is a self declared empath. Brags about it even. But she has an aggressive temperament, and is pretty judgmental. She went once on rant about how ppl who commit suicide are selfish even as I tried to explain to her just how deep and dark it can get for someone to get to that state. Her reasoning is she was depressed once and got through it so anyone can.

some empath.



Last edited by red_doghubb on 23 Sep 2019, 2:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.

League_Girl
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23 Sep 2019, 2:43 pm

WalkerTR wrote:
I saw a documentary about an 8 year old girl being separated from her parents due to immigration laws in north Korea and it really disturbed me and I felt a lot of empathy. My daughter was about the same age at the time too.

If you could watch that and feel nothing then you would qualify as having zero empathy. I think that would be the ultimate test.


When it comes to day-to-day stuff like someone losing an object I don't really feel anything.



I think you are confusing empathy with sympathy.


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Fnord
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23 Sep 2019, 2:45 pm

Just because the sensors can deliver a dumpload of data, that does not mean anyone knows what to do with it.


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League_Girl
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23 Sep 2019, 2:45 pm

red_doghubb wrote:
I have a neighbor who is a self declared empath. Brags about it even. But she has an aggressive temperament, and is pretty judgmental. She went once on rant about how ppl who commit suicide are selfish even as I tried to explain to her just how deep and dark it can get for someone to get to that state. Her reasoning is she was depressed once and got through it so anyone can.

some empath.



Yeah not everyone who claims to be an empath is actually one so I take it as a grain of salt. I would have to see it before I believe they are. Anything people say about themselves is just their opinion and how they view themselves.


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