‘Empathy’ Is a False God

[Syne]

‘Empathy’ Is a False God

"‘Empathy’ has been revered as the emotional analog of wisdom. I’m here to say that it is vastly overrated, and there is something else far better...

In reality, empathy is actually - projective self involvement. This is ultimately a form of narcissism that passes as caring. The real caring item is best described as ‘Responsiveness’. Responsiveness is a process of emotional receptivity, by which one is directly tuned into and involved with the other person with no reference to oneself at all...

In fact neuroscientists have a theory which demonstrates how empathy and responsiveness are very different. They propose that so-called empathy is the result of the activation of mirror neurons. This is supposed to explain how mirroring allows one to read the emotions in others as if it is in one’s self. This then is said to determine our emotional sharing ability. In contrast, as I show in the "What is Love?" blog, responsiveness is built in from the beginning of a pregnancy from the mother to the child. It is in place at birth, and continues and matures all the way to the creation of consciousness at six weeks old. The connection of feeling between the baby and the mother is a mutual loving responsiveness when gets established and continues for the rest of their lives. It has no reference to projective identification states. This resonance of feeling is the source of all loving and is the real item."

[Magical Realist]

False god? Who is this guy? The Moses of psychotherapy?

[Syne]

False god? Who is this guy? The Moses of psychotherapy?

From the guy who touts empathy as everything from a direct observation to the source of all human values.

[RainbowUnicorn]

‘Empathy’ Is a False God

"‘Empathy’ has been revered as the emotional analog of wisdom. I’m here to say that it is vastly overrated, and there is something else far better...

In reality, empathy is actually - projective self involvement. This is ultimately a form of narcissism that passes as caring. The real caring item is best described as ‘Responsiveness’. Responsiveness is a process of  emotional receptivity, by which one is directly tuned into and involved with the other person with no reference to oneself at all...

In fact neuroscientists have a theory which demonstrates how empathy and responsiveness are very different. They propose that so-called empathy is the result of the activation of mirror neurons. This is supposed to explain how mirroring allows one to read the emotions in others as if it is in one’s self. This then is said to determine our emotional sharing ability. In contrast, as I show in the "What is Love?" blog, responsiveness is built in from the beginning of a pregnancy from the mother to the child. It is in place at birth, and continues and matures all the way to the creation of consciousness at six weeks old. The connection of feeling between the baby and the mother is a mutual loving responsiveness when gets established and continues for the rest of their lives. It has no reference to projective identification states. This resonance of feeling is the source of all loving and is the real item."

Excellent question Re empathy.
is empathy still empathy if it is not expressed to be observed by others ?
is empathy in fact a trend word now used to define an expected social norm ?
if empathy is an intrinsic state of awareness and emotional consciouseness then surely it extends to all people all the time in all places ?
thus: if one can turn a blind eye then does one have empathy at all... more soo the ability to turn empathy off then sggests it is not intrinsic but purely a type of cultural socialisation.. thus "social trend"

[Magical Realist]

From the guy who touts empathy as everything from a direct observation to the source of all human values.

Noone's proclaiming empathy to be a god. Empathy is empathy. It's just our faculty for identifying with the feelings and perspectives of another sentient being. It's what allows us to bond with complete strangers as well as our neighbors promoting altruism and bonding in communities and so has tremendous survival value. Why are you knocking it? Are you somehow empathically challenged?

[RainbowUnicorn]

From the guy who touts empathy as everything from a direct observation to the source of all human values.

Noone's proclaiming empathy to be a god. Empathy is empathy. It's just our faculty for identifying with the feelings and perspectives of another sentient being. It's what allows us to bond with complete strangers as well as our neighbors promoting altruism and bonding in communities and so has tremendous survival value. Why are you knocking it? Are you somehow empathically challenged?

with this weird modern day reality TV social culture how do we differentiate between real Empathy & pretend Empathy.
is empathy becoming something that is just taken out and swiped like a bonus card on specific occasions for personal gain ?

[Syne]

From the guy who touts empathy as everything from a direct observation to the source of all human values.

Noone's proclaiming empathy to be a god. Empathy is empathy. It's just our faculty for identifying with the feelings and perspectives of another sentient being. It's what allows us to bond with complete strangers as well as our neighbors promoting altruism and bonding in communities and so has tremendous survival value. Why are you knocking it? Are you somehow empathically challenged?

Show me where I've "knocked it". I've refuted your unsupported assumptions about information gathering versus information processing, but you seem to be creating a strawman that I've said empathy was crap or something. Prove it. To the contrary, I've recently posted a thread about how empathy utilizes the same brain activity as thinking about god. I suppose you think I'm knocking god now too, huh? LOL.

[Magical Realist]

From the guy who touts empathy as everything from a direct observation to the source of all human values.

Noone's proclaiming empathy to be a god. Empathy is empathy. It's just our faculty for identifying with the feelings and perspectives of another sentient being. It's what allows us to bond with complete strangers as well as our neighbors promoting altruism and bonding in communities and so has tremendous survival value. Why are you knocking it? Are you somehow empathically challenged?

Show me where I've "knocked it". I've refuted your unsupported assumptions about information gathering versus information processing, but you seem to be creating a strawman that I've said empathy was crap or something. Prove it. To the contrary, I've recently posted a thread about how empathy utilizes the same brain activity as thinking about god. I suppose you think I'm knocking god now too, huh? LOL.

I was unaware there was a specific part of our brain dedicated to imagining an invisible sky king. Is that the same one we use for Santa Claus?

[Syne]

Noone's proclaiming empathy to be a god. Empathy is empathy. It's just our faculty for identifying with the feelings and perspectives of another sentient being. It's what allows us to bond with complete strangers as well as our neighbors promoting altruism and bonding in communities and so has tremendous survival value. Why are you knocking it? Are you somehow empathically challenged?

Show me where I've "knocked it". I've refuted your unsupported assumptions about information gathering versus information processing, but you seem to be creating a strawman that I've said empathy was crap or something. Prove it. To the contrary, I've recently posted a thread about how empathy utilizes the same brain activity as thinking about god. I suppose you think I'm knocking god now too, huh? LOL.

I was unaware there was a specific part of our brain dedicated to imagining an invisible sky king. Is that the same one we use for Santa Claus?

I'll take that to mean that you can't support your own claim...yet again. So that was just a blatant attempt at character assassination.

If you really want to talk about that thread, go post there, otherwise this is just a transparent avoidance of backing up your own claims.

[Magical Realist]

Noone's proclaiming empathy to be a god. Empathy is empathy. It's just our faculty for identifying with the feelings and perspectives of another sentient being. It's what allows us to bond with complete strangers as well as our neighbors promoting altruism and bonding in communities and so has tremendous survival value. Why are you knocking it? Are you somehow empathically challenged?

Show me where I've "knocked it". I've refuted your unsupported assumptions about information gathering versus information processing, but you seem to be creating a strawman that I've said empathy was crap or something. Prove it. To the contrary, I've recently posted a thread about how empathy utilizes the same brain activity as thinking about god. I suppose you think I'm knocking god now too, huh? LOL.

I was unaware there was a specific part of our brain dedicated to imagining an invisible sky king. Is that the same one we use for Santa Claus?

I'll take that to mean that you can't support your own claim...yet again. So that was just a blatant attempt at character assassination.

If you really want to talk about that thread, go post there, otherwise this is just a transparent avoidance of backing up your own claims.

And I'll take that as a yes..lol!