Are you an empath? Sociopath/Psychopath? Or ‘Normal Person’?

[Frosty]

If you had to define yourself as one of those things-and there was no shame attached to any of them- what would you be?

Of course- you dont have to pick any of them- you can choose other if you believe it all to be a spectrum, if you are uncomfortable with the categories... or if you just cant choose.

But whatever you choose... I would love an explanation

And heres a dumb quiz for it at request of /DG/- maybe itll help!

Psychopath, Narcissist, Sociopath or Empath?

It really IS a dumb quiz though. Fair warning

 

[Dreamer]

I'm a path...way to Heaven. (Don't even ask what that means)

Eh, I guess a normal-ish guy? I can empathize, but to give myself the title of "Empath" mmm, seems like a title only few can actually claim accurately.

 

[chickpea]

i am a psycho, empathetic normal person.

 

[Population: 1]

Other. I’ll let you know when I can be categorized for ease of reference.

 

[Frosty]

Other. I’ll let you know when I can be categorized for ease of reference.

Other...
Or otherkin?

Otherkin - Wikipedia

 

[Population: 1]

Other...
Or otherkin?

Otherkin - Wikipedia

No I’m pretty sure I’m human. I care too much to be a sociopath, too little to be an empath and I’m definitely not ‘normal’. So other it is.

 

[Coriolis]

No I’m pretty sure I’m human. I care too much to be a sociopath, too little to be an empath and I’m definitely not ‘normal’. So other it is.

This about sums it up for me as well. I suspect I am less empathetic than most folks, but I care about people's needs and troubles because of my personal value system.

 

[Betty Blue]

Honestly i don't think so. There are times when I can be, usually these are not concerning individuals but larger picture situations. Idk I remember a scene from a animated family film years ago, i forget which one but it depicted children being thrown off a cliff a la religion. I felt an overwhelming empathy for the loss of future generations.

 

[Virtual ghost]

*does not compute*

 

[rav3n]

Empathy is divided into two components. Affective and cognitive with subcategories below them. I'm higher in cognitive than affective with adults, since adults can take care of themselves except when systemically oppressed. Generally speaking, more in the normal category, albeit high on affective and cognitive empathy when it comes to protecting and care of innocents like children and animals.

 

[á´…eparted]

I can completely shut off my feelings with some things, but it is not a default mode. I am empathetic but its a very logical process, so I hesitate to label myself.

 

[FemMecha]

I have some empathy, but I don't claim it is consistent. Most people feel really complex and at times alien to me, so I don't think I quickly know what people feel, how they see the world, or how they think. When I invest a lot of time in someone, they can resonate with me in a way related to empathy. I also have huge respect for personal boundaries, so I wouldn't want to invade or assume into others, but I think that is consistent with a lot of people's desire. I care about empathy and understanding people, but it gives me a sick feeling to "be an empath" because I think the claim is irrelevant - only someone else can say if you've been empathetic or not, and I'm not always. I'm not a sociopath at all, but I can disconnect pretty quickly when rejected.

 

[Lark]

I'd like to be more of an empath than I am.

 

[LucieCat]

I have quite a bit of empathy, but not anymore than a lot of other people do. One of the many doctors my parents took me to as a child said I lacked empathy, but I was in a very dark place then and literally no one else has ever said that about me (to my knowledge). Then again, I've seen so many doctors that I literally have conflicting diagnoses in my medical record.

 

[Mole]

It is common practice to confuse sympathy and empathy.

Both are very old words from the Ancient Greek. Sympathy means to feel with, and empathy means to understand another's feelings.

So sympathy means to feel the same as, while empathy means to understand another's feelings without feeling them oneself.

Sympathy is natural, we all feel sympathy, we all have mirror neurons, and find it natural to mirror the feelings of another.

On the other hand empathy is unnatural, and with practice empathy can be taught and learnt.

And empathy is uniquely helpful, in situations such as a hospital, where we need to help a patient, and we can't do this if we feel the same as the patient.

Sympathy is seductive, there is no need to learn empathy, and we do like to think of ourselves as sympathetic people, don't we?

So empaths are simply the sympathetic dressed in New Age clothes. We are flattered by our sympathy.

 

[Bush]

It is common practice to confuse sympathy and empathy.

Both are very old words from the Ancient Greek. Sympathy means to feel with, and empathy means to understand another's feelings.

So sympathy means to feel the same as, while empathy means to understand another's feelings without feeling them oneself.

Sympathy is natural, we all feel sympathy, we all have mirror neurons, and find it natural to mirror the feelings of another.

On the other hand empathy is unnatural, and with practice empathy can be taught and learnt.

And empathy is uniquely helpful, in situations such as a hospital, where we need to help a patient, and we can't do this if we feel the same as the patient.

Sympathy is seductive, there is no need to learn empathy, and we do like to think of ourselves as sympathetic people, don't we?

So empaths are simply the sympathetic dressed in New Age clothes. We are flattered by our sympathy.

I thought it was exactly the opposite, in that mirror neurons have you feeling as the other person feels whereas sympathy is more situational and distant..?

 

[prplchknz]

i have too many mirror neurons if someone laughs i laugh even though i don't know why they're laughing same thing with crying and puking.

 

[Bush]

I'm normal, but via upbringing and coping and all I learned how to read decently, though not in a mirror neuron-y sort of way. Still habitually and through the gut, though I'm sure it didn't come out of the box when I was born or anything. It's just something that I wind up paying attention to.

A 'good friend' of mine is absolutely empathetic: really feeling what another feels, having their stuff rub off onto her at least a little bit. Freakishly accurate. Can be a disadvantage when someone else is anxious, or the overall vibe is anxious. We'd gotten into conflicts if I'm feeling negative, though, as if I need to control how I feel (rather than just feeling but dealing with it healthily.) But very useful when she can take it in and then 'snap out of it' or otherwise separate herself so that she can make decisions from an outside perspective. It helps make her a good caretaker, as nurse and as mom, because she gains experiential knowledge, a holistic understanding of an individual. A patient becomes less of a clipboard and checklist and more of an individual with their own needs.

 

[Lexicon]

I thought it was exactly the opposite, in that mirror neurons have you feeling as the other person feels whereas sympathy is more situational and distant..?

You would be correct.

Or simpler terms-
Sympathy: I'm so sorry you're in pain.
Empathy: I feel your pain.

 

[Lexicon]

I've the capacity to be deeply empathetic, so I clicked "empath" to acknowledge that part of myself. I also clicked "normal person," as simply calling myself an empath just sounds pretentious as hell, especially in our current social climate. Also, having a decent amount of empathy doesn't make one any less of a normal person, imo.