Quote Originally Posted by Mimosa Pudica View Post
I get you. It's the way I feel about ESIs, too. Not sure what it means. Maybe you could say they have empathy, but lack sympathy? An ESI should answer.
I understand how people are feeling - I rarely "feel" or "experience" how other people are feeling. I can and do put myself in other people's shoes, but it's not something I do instinctively, whereas understanding how people feel and where they are coming from is. That being said, I don't think I'm overly sympathetic. I definitely have the capacity for great sympathy, I'm just... less likely to give it to just anyone? Lol, and I don't mean to sound like I'm stingy with my sympathy. This sounds terrible - I'm really not sure how to put it.

That being said, I don't think empathy is highly type related. Any healthy individual has the capacity for empathy and tbh I don't see the point in over-analyzing it.

Quote Originally Posted by Mimosa Pudica View Post
To explain it a bit further : A problem in this, is that at times, I don't manage AT ALL to separate MY OWN WANTS from what OTHERS want. Again and again, I have to ask myself what *I* want to do in a situation, to avoid me doing things others want me to do. I have been hurt by my empathy a lot of times, for example feeling that others want to date me so strongly that I've thought for a while they were my feelings. That really complicates things... It's not all "cool". I really, really think this is a problem IEIs can have and that SLEs, for example, would laugh at. And it's tied to strong empathy, according to definitions. (and it illustrates that I don't mean strong empathy is only positive)
How is this empathy? Understanding and "feeling" how someone else is feeling is empathy. Adopting their feelings as your own is not empathy, lol. If anything it shows a weak understanding of your own feelings and and an inability to be assert them when necessary.
I think you are taking this whole being empathetic thing a little too far.