Lacking Empathy

• Ashikoki wrote on 2013-04-18 08:32
  M-magical astronomy!
  
  Edit: This is in Everything Else, so we're gonna stop derailing this thread, okay?
• Lewd wrote on 2013-04-18 12:42

  Quote from Yakumo Yukari;1070108:

  [Image: http://1-media-cdn.foolz.us/ffuuka/board/jp/image/1335/26/1335264071997.jpg]

  
  
  +Rep me for this.

  
  
  Don't tempt me
• Kingofrunes wrote on 2013-04-18 12:49

  Quote from Ashikoki;1070091:

  Just read some visual novels for feels and then you'll know whether you're normal or not.

  
  
  Does crying over anime and cartoon deaths count?
• Enoshima Smoothie wrote on 2013-04-18 13:09
  I wouldn't say you lack empathy, you're just more reserved with your emotions than other people.
  No biggie. People leave their hearts way too unprotected these days anyway.
• Cynic wrote on 2013-04-18 13:35

  Quote from Yakumo Yukari;1070104:

  *facepalm* I just had a severe brainfart. Someone neg me.
  
  
  
  This explains a lot of my life.

  
  
  And to add onto that..
  
  Empathy = understanding of emotion, being able to react to certain situations without wondering "oh no wat do". i.e. some people with low levels of empathy, such as sociopaths or autistics, are socially awkward due to lacking enough empathy to be able to relate and act properly, regardless of whether or not they actually feel sympathy. Aspergers is a great example of this. Of course, you can still have a good understanding of some human emotion, or simply humans in general, and still be socially awkward. I used to think that was because of having a low level of sympathy (or selective sympathy), but it turns out that's wrong. Seems like it's more likely based on your levels of empathy, which can definitely be spotting in different categories. i.e. high understanding of emotion X, but low understanding of emotion Y, and so on.
  
  Sympathy = actually feeling said emotions. You can have high levels of sympathy and low levels of empathy, and vice versa. Also keep in mind that your sympathy doesn't have to apply to everyone and anyone, and you can feel sympathy towards anyone from people you love dearly, or just random people that you don't even know. It's different with everyone. Oddly enough, it doesn't necessarily have to apply to beings that we value, either. Like if you prefer animals over humans, it's not abnormal to not feel sympathy towards them.
  
  I have no clue if that makes any sense, but I guess that's what I get for trying to write this up at 6:30 in the morning.
• Kingofrunes wrote on 2013-04-18 22:53
  You know...I think I just switched Empathy and Sympathy....
  
  I don't feel lot of "sadness" or "love". I can understand when someone is upset or something. But will I feel said or upset if someone dies? Probably not.
• Yakumo Yukari wrote on 2013-04-20 12:27

  Quote from Cynic;1070204:

  And to add onto that..
  
  Empathy = understanding of emotion, being able to react to certain situations without wondering "oh no wat do". i.e. some people with low levels of empathy, such as sociopaths or autistics, are socially awkward due to lacking enough empathy to be able to relate and act properly, regardless of whether or not they actually feel sympathy. Aspergers is a great example of this. Of course, you can still have a good understanding of some human emotion, or simply humans in general, and still be socially awkward. I used to think that was because of having a low level of sympathy (or selective sympathy), but it turns out that's wrong. Seems like it's more likely based on your levels of empathy, which can definitely be spotting in different categories. i.e. high understanding of emotion X, but low understanding of emotion Y, and so on.
  
  Sympathy = actually feeling said emotions. You can have high levels of sympathy and low levels of empathy, and vice versa. Also keep in mind that your sympathy doesn't have to apply to everyone and anyone, and you can feel sympathy towards anyone from people you love dearly, or just random people that you don't even know. It's different with everyone. Oddly enough, it doesn't necessarily have to apply to beings that we value, either. Like if you prefer animals over humans, it's not abnormal to not feel sympathy towards them.
  
  I have no clue if that makes any sense, but I guess that's what I get for trying to write this up at 6:30 in the morning.

  
  
  
  Fuck yeah aspergers.
  
  Thanks for explaining my life in 5 seconds when I still didn't understand the explanations given by all the shrinks~
• Aubog007 wrote on 2013-04-20 19:50

  Quote from Yakumo Yukari;1072082:

  Fuck yeah aspergers.
  
  Thanks for explaining my life in 5 seconds when I still didn't understand the explanations given by all the shrinks~

  
  
  Should read more then.
• Kitkat wrote on 2013-04-20 20:00

  Quote from Kingofrunes;1070624:

  You know...I think I just switched Empathy and Sympathy....
  
  I don't feel lot of "sadness" or "love". I can understand when someone is upset or something. But will I feel said or upset if someone dies? Probably not.

  
  
  As opposed to me, who practically feels other people around me's emotions as if they were my own...
  
  I somewhat envy you, and somewhat pity you.
• Drizzit wrote on 2013-04-21 22:27
  I can't feel empathy over something like the Boston Marathon bombing because it's too big and too far away, but when I read an individual story from it, like the cowboy hat man Splat posted, then I can connect with it enough to feel something.
• Aubog007 wrote on 2013-04-22 11:42

  Quote from Drizzit;1072802:

  I can't feel empathy over something like the Boston Marathon bombing because it's too big and too far away, but when I read an individual story from it, like the cowboy hat man Splat posted, then I can connect with it enough to feel something.

  
  
  I refuse to read stories about individuals from tragedies because it's designed to evoke emotion, it makes you subjective about the news around you instead of objective, which leads to rash emotions.