Empathy, the downside (Serious thread)

[Egbert]

It has long seemed to me that empathy is reserved for those whom we identify with as somehow being one of "us".

There seems to be very little, if any, empathy for those who somehow deemed to be one of "them".

There seems to be something of a "them" and "us" dichotomy attached to empathy.

There does thus seem to be a very toxic downside to empathy.

If one of "them" does something unfavourable to one of "us" we may identify with the hurt experienced by one of our own and react to the other without the slightest shred of empathy or compassion.

I have noticed that too many people grossly over react to the slightest inconvenience to themselves or their loved ones. The perpetrator is treated like an enemy.

This them and us dichotomy would seem to explain a lot about the human tendency to be so utterly inhumane to other groups. Just tell them "they" are harming our interests.

Your thoughts on this rather poorly worded post please?

[Proteus_MST]

This group thinking is well known ... and something that humans have in common with other animals (for example other great apes)

[Bereta_Eder]

that's not empathy.
that's tribalism

empathy
εμπάθεια = co-passion (compassion) passion as in παθος (pathos) - to feel

so empathy ~ feel for the other
no "us" involved

[Egbert]

I was suggesting something along the lines of empathy being reserved for ones own tribe.

[Bereta_Eder]

I don't think that classifies as empathy.
Even nationalism has compassion. You won't call the nationalist an empathic person though.
Empathy precludes that you feel for the "other" not (just) for "us"

[Jon Miller]

I recommend http://www.amazon.com/dp/0061656798/..._21iFvb0Q7H4S8

Tribalism is one of the sources of Empathy but not the only source (and so Empathy doesn't generically have the downside you are subscribing to it).

JM

[giblets]

I don't think that classifies as empathy.
Even nationalism has compassion. You won't call the nationalist an empathic person though.
Empathy precludes that you feel for the "other" not (just) for "us"

You're right, feeling for "us" is usually called sympathy.

[loinburger]

One negative effect of empathy (or sympathy or whatever, I'd rather not argue about word definitions) is feeling negative emotions for other people's actions. For me this most often manifests as embarrassment - I cringe and in extreme cases may even feel nauseous at other people's gaffes.

[Dr Strangelove]

No, empathy is the capacity to understand what someone else is feeling, sympathy is the sharing of the other person's feeling.

[Aeson]

One negative effect of empathy (or sympathy or whatever, I'd rather not argue about word definitions) is feeling negative emotions for other people's actions. For me this most often manifests as embarrassment - I cringe and in extreme cases may even feel nauseous at other people's gaffes.

So you're saying you keep a bucket next to the computer to throw up into whenever you're on Poly?

[loinburger]

It's not as bad when the person doesn't realize or care that they're committing a gaffe, which is the case with most of the posters on Apolyton