Some people can very well put themselves into the emotional situation of others. But others are totally difficult. Using these three signs, find out whether you lack empathy.
Table of contents
- What is empathy?
- 3 signs that you are not empathetic
- What are the causes of the lack of empathy?
- Learn empathy: is that possible?
Do you have any difficulty putting yourself into others and tracing their feelings? Maybe you have even been told that you lack empathy. We reveal how to recognize whether this is the case and how you can handle it.
What is empathy?
Empathy is the ability to put yourself in other people and to understand what they feel and think. Empathic people listen carefully and show great interest in the feelings of others. You can quickly recognize people's feelings and respond to it.
3 signs that you are not empathetic
1. You will be accused more often that you are selfish or self -centered
If you can't really put yourself into the thoughts and emotional world of others, you are more likely to focus on your own emotions and act accordingly. In other people, this can lead to you perceived as selfish.
2. You have difficulty recognizing or classifying the feelings of others
Again and again you wonder why people react in a certain way. Often you cannot assess whether someone is sad or angry and slightly offends other people.
Reading tip:
3. You often find the emotions of others uninteresting or annoying
Feeling tuslets of the others go animal -based on the biscuit and you have little interest in the emotional experiences of other people. This makes you look cool and reserved and your environment will also feel it.
What are the causes of the lack of empathy?
A lack of empathy can have a wide variety of causes. The reason is often in childhood and upbringing. For example, if you were under great pressure as a child or were subconsciously taught that it is more important to show strength than emotions.
But acute situations and stress can also ensure that people show low empathy.
Other causes of lack of empathy are mental illnesses that affect empathy ability, such as a narcissistic personality disorder or borderline.
Likewise, hormonal and neurobiological phenomena can lead to a person cannot show no or low empathy. Examples are Asperger's syndrome, emotional blindness or a testosterone surplus.
Learn empathy: is that possible?
It is difficult to learn empathy, especially if an illness is the cause. The following tips can help to become more empathetic:
1. Listening actively: This gives interest and can build an interesting conversation at the same time
2. Observe body language: Based on the gestures and facial expressions, a lot can be derived about the emotional condition of a person.
3. Reading or watching films: This is better to learn to put yourself in the thoughts and emotional world of others and to identify with people.
4. Allow and reflect on your own feelings: Only those who deal with their own feelings can understand that of the others in the long run.
If you have problems putting yourself into other people and showing empathy, conversation therapy can help. Here you try to find out what the cause of the lack of empathy is.
