Simon Baron-Cohen says that "...empathy is about spontaneously and naturally tuning into the other person's thoughts and feelings, whatever these might be [...]There are two major elements to empathy. The first is the cognitive component: Understanding the others feelings and the ability to take their perspective [...] the second element to empathy is the affective component. This is an observer's appropriate emotional response to another person's emotional state." Empathy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Empathy is a concept that I struggle with. I can see when another person is very happy or very angry, but I never feel as though I can perceive the emotions in between or outside of those two. I can, perhaps, tell that someone is experiencing an emotion but I rarely feel as though I know what it is without them telling me explicitly. Even then I often don't understand unless they tell me WHY they are feeling what they are feeling. However, I believe that I am a compassionate person. Is it possible that NTs can actually tell what others are feeling? It is a foreign concept to me.
What do people here on the forum think empathy is? Do you have it? Do you understand it?
Empathy is a concept that I struggle with. I can see when another person is very happy or very angry, but I never feel as though I can perceive the emotions in between or outside of those two. I can, perhaps, tell that someone is experiencing an emotion but I rarely feel as though I know what it is without them telling me explicitly. Even then I often don't understand unless they tell me WHY they are feeling what they are feeling. However, I believe that I am a compassionate person. Is it possible that NTs can actually tell what others are feeling? It is a foreign concept to me.
What do people here on the forum think empathy is? Do you have it? Do you understand it?