Turtle Posted July 30, 2006 Report Share Posted July 30, 2006 It is one thing for a person to have or show empathy, it's an entirely different matter for a person to be "an empath". I apparently be an empath. :shrug: :eek2: I just started looking into web info on this & I have but one link so far with a checklist of sorts of empath behavior.http://empaths.tribe.net/ Sound like anyone you know? Other thoughts? Kaffee bitte?:cup: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
learnin to learn Posted July 30, 2006 Report Share Posted July 30, 2006 dang, 7 out of 8 of those questions sounded like me! :shrug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turtle Posted July 30, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2006 dang, 7 out of 8 of those questions sounded like me! :cup: I feel your surprise Learnin'.:eek2: Who we gonna call?:shrug: I put in a call to Wicky:Empathy is one's ability to recognize and understand the emotion of another. As the states of mind, beliefs, and desires of others are intertwined with their emotions, one with empathy for another may often be able to more effectively divine another's modes of thought and mood. Empathy is often characterized as the ability to "put oneself into another's shoes", or experiencing the outlook or emotions of another being within oneself, a sort of emotional resonance. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empath Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
celtfaery Posted July 30, 2006 Report Share Posted July 30, 2006 Wow. I think you've stumbled onto something here Turtle. I unfortunately vary greatly in my ability to read others. I find it happens when there is huge emotional turmoil, not so much from physical pain. Lucky me. It's weird though, sometimes I'm either absorbed by someone's pain, or I am completely indifferent, it varies so much. I think the indifference is a self imposed protection. Anyway--it's great fun living with the local Vulcan...Shannon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turtle Posted July 30, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2006 Anyway--it's great fun living with the local Vulcan...ShannonSo I'm a Vulcan then!?:shrug: At any rate, I concur on the stumbling onto something [of interest], while pointing out that Vulcans aren't often accused of being fun.:eek2: This concept of an empath seems a useful model for understanding some of my behaviors. While the mechanism seems somewhat speculative, the effect is anecdotally demonstrable by reviewing interactions I have with people. Take for example the second premise on the list from that preliminary link:2- Are you an emotional sponge, soaking up the emotions of others, absorbing and dissipating the energy and problems of others, even at a distance. http://empaths.tribe.net/In effect I mirror the emotional state, however it is that I assess that, of those I communicate with. No small wonder I live as a virtual recluse, but every bit the wonder why I should communicate so widely here. Milch mit deine kaffee?:cup: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay-qu Posted July 31, 2006 Report Share Posted July 31, 2006 the first few sound narcissistic... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turtle Posted July 31, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2006 the first few sound narcissistic...Yes indeedy. It's a sloppy list & a new-agey site, neither of which engenders a whole heap of trust. Gotta start somewhere eh? I still have to read the entire Wicky article; did you get to it yet?Ok, the Star Trek reference first. I don't think the Vulcans were the ones that played empath characters. Wasn't Troy on Next Generation the empath? Or maybe it was just a central character in one episode? I can't recall.:confused: For my own (narcissistic!?;) ) model, I think it's not a matter of having any "higher" senses, but rather related to autism and an inability to filter the "noise". More or less to say my subconcious is leaky. Since it's always been leaky I assume it's what everyone experiences. At least I used to assume that; it's clearly not the case. At any rate, off to do some reading.:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay-qu Posted July 31, 2006 Report Share Posted July 31, 2006 Ive been doing some reading. While narcissism and empathy have some similarities I think narcissism is a completely unconcious (instinct?) reaction to a situation, but anyone should be capable of empathy.. just thinking out loud Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBigDog Posted July 31, 2006 Report Share Posted July 31, 2006 Yes indeedy. It's a sloppy list & a new-agey site, neither of which engenders a whole heap of trust. Gotta start somewhere eh? I still have to read the entire Wicky article; did you get to it yet?Ok, the Star Trek reference first. I don't think the Vulcans were the ones that played empath characters. Wasn't Troy on Next Generation the empath? Or maybe it was just a central character in one episode? I can't recall.:shrug: Troy was the empath. She was a member of a race introduced for TNG. Bajorans I think they were called. Vulcans repress their own emotions, but can use a mind meld to experience the thoughts and feelings of another being, which is indeed being an empath. Spock used this a number of times, most notably when he mind melded with the mineral creature that laid eggs every 10,000 years and was terrorizing a mining colony. And again when he transfered his spirit into McCoy for safe transport between movies 2 and 3. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
learnin to learn Posted July 31, 2006 Report Share Posted July 31, 2006 I forgot that he transfered his spirit to McCoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InfiniteNow Posted July 31, 2006 Report Share Posted July 31, 2006 It is one thing for a person to have or show empathy, it's an entirely different matter for a person to be "an empath".The words perceptive, aware, intuitive, and kind all come to mind when I think about this. Understanding with another's eyes, hearing with another's ears, feeling with another's heart... Some people have such a broad expanse of experience that they quickly relate to others and understand. Some can read cues very well and put all of the bits of data together in such a way as to form a gestault of the situation or person. Perhaps on the perceptual side, empaths are able to pick-up on slight neuromagnetic differences from those around them and interpret that information. Old souls in a new age, with mind of beginner and wisdom of sage... searching. Kindly, Celeste 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
learnin to learn Posted July 31, 2006 Report Share Posted July 31, 2006 when you say cues, do you mean body language? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turtle Posted July 31, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2006 Old souls in a new age, with mind of beginner and wisdom of sage... searching.Kindly,Well writ & well received.:) I see your gestalt, and raise you a gesundheit.:lol: Gestalt psychology (also Gestalt theory of the Berlin School) is a theory of mind and brain that proposes that the operational principle of the brain is holistic, parallel, and analog, with self-organizing tendencies. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gestalt_psychologywhen you say cues, do you mean body language? While we await Now's reply, I have a perspective on the cues. While body language is indeed a great part of it (a part I particularly find distracting), it is hardly the all of it. We largely have no body language here at Hypog and yet that seems no barrier to empathic response. It is extremely difficult to pin down the cues as they vary situation to situation; following the gestalt model of holistic-parallel-analog-self-organization, any linear list is grossly inadequate. The best description that comes to mind of my own experience is that I perceive these clues much as I perceive patterns in numbers. :wave: :eek2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InfiniteNow Posted August 1, 2006 Report Share Posted August 1, 2006 when you say cues, do you mean body language?That is certainly part of it, but there's more to it as pointed out by Turtle. It is the aggregate of all incoming information which leads to it. I would go so far as to say that perhaps there are neuromagnetically induced ripples in spacetime curvature that impact our awareness, but that's a pretty far out idea and I have no support of it. Until I have science to back up such theses, I'll only be able to offer some poetic descriptor of my ideas. It's apparent in our language as well. Ever walked into a room and gotten a "bad vibe?" Or, been "attracted" to someone? Or "repulsed," or "drawn," or been on the same "wavelength...." Interesting parellels in the world of physics and what I like to refer to as quantum psychodynamics. Just ideas currently. Nothing really to support it. Cheers. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
learnin to learn Posted August 1, 2006 Report Share Posted August 1, 2006 Ok what about this. I have a friend that I am really close to. When she is depressed, I know it. I mean I live about 10 miles away from her but I just know when she is upset or happy? Am I just a good guesser or what? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InfiniteNow Posted August 1, 2006 Report Share Posted August 1, 2006 Ok what about this. I have a friend that I am really close to. When she is depressed, I know it. I mean I live about 10 miles away from her but I just know when she is upset or happy? Am I just a good guesser or what?That's the question of this thread... :) Ever thought about a friend with whom you haven't spoken in years, only to have the phone ring 5 minutes later and it's them? Coincidence? Perhaps, but meaningful all the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
learnin to learn Posted August 1, 2006 Report Share Posted August 1, 2006 lol yeah that has happend to me. once I was thinkin of a friend I had not seen in awhile, and they showed up at my job and talked my ear off! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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