Do BPD's feel empathy

Title

/discuss

There are exceptions but generally, borderlines are able to feel empathy. In fact, the vast majority of borderines feel empathy.

Why are there all these kinds of posts? It seems to be a new trend.
This one... one that asks if BPDers can love.
We can feel every emotion. We're not Psychopaths... we're just messed up, needy people...

It's so baffling...
But yes, we can feel empathy.

Anyone can experience empathy. Empathy uses logic to recognise the emotions of another whereas in contrast sympathy involves directly relating on an emotional level.

People with personality disorders are often incredibly concerned with themselves. All disorders are about 'self.'

Empathy is essentially brilliant for anyone with a personality disorder to study and practice as by placing oneself in the shoes of another one escapes their own mental state and the mental preoccupation with self dissipates temporarily.

Vivienne, the difference between sympathy and empathy is poorly defined and is often up to individual interpretation. See here for further clarification of this issue as I think it expresses what I'm trying to explain. http://hubpages.com/hub/Sympathy_vs_Empathy

Also no, everyone cannot naturally experience empathy or sympathy. It is true that it is possible to learn them through practice.

As a general rule, most borderlines can naturally experience empathy/sympathy. As with everyone else, there will always be exceptions.

There is some confusion between an individuals definition of empathy and sympathy, that is true.

Interestingly enough, some high degree psychopaths have undergone empathy training along with social skills training on the notion that empathy can be taught. Sympathy relies on relating emotionally and in their case is less easier (or impossible) to teach due to differences in emotions and emotional interpretation of a psychopath versus a non-psychopathic individual.

This relies on the concept empathy itself can be taught and experienced by anyone via utilising logical deduction of emotion. (http://www.differencebetween.net/langua ... d-empathy/) This website clarifies what I mean in the above.

The wonderful thing is that it is a relatively simple procedure to learn. Hard to practice and maintain, but simple to understand.

I do... maybe too much

Thank you, Vivienne. Were they actually psychopaths? I'm curious as to why they would want to learn empathy. Are you sure they actually learned? You can't objectively measure empathy and it's pretty easy to fake. If they were actually psychopaths, I'm assuming they had to be paid to participate in such a study in which case, the study would probably be worth more if the results were more impressive. Also if they used particularly intelligent psychopaths, which for a study about emotion, they most likely did, they would probably be pros at faking more complex emotions. See what I'm getting at?

Anyway, if you'd like to talk about psychopaths, I'm sure there would be more willing participants in the AsPD forum as this is for borderlines and should remain as such.

They were actually psychopaths, yes. Those I'm referring to attended the SHU (Special Handling Unit) and ranged from psychopaths of a moderate to high degree. Some are forced into rehab due to the very nature of their crimes. Others go of their own will to manipulate rehab. Many learn to feign false emotions to manipulate their surroundings. One can NEVER trust the emotions of a psychopath. There was a guy there who everyone called D.Y. Nobody ever spoke to him unless he approached them. Diagnosed a primary psychopath. He had already killed three inmates inside before he was transferred. One new guy who was quite young and quite foolish approached D.Y to offer him a free smoke. D.Y simply ignored him. The next day he stuck a knife in the guys throat. I heard he didn't die, but he wasn't seen again. Empathy? Possible, as it relies solely on logic rather than on mood.

The tests measuring remorse, empathy and response to emotional stressors have in many cases been developed by Hare himself. Faking emotions doesn't come into play within the acutal testing. Most diagnosticicians are not so adept to ascertain whether manipulation comes into play though. There is always a degree of psychopathic intent and it's nearly always colourless.

You can state this is irrelevant to the topic if you wish. That in itself carries little relevance to me.

mosaicmonkey wrote:I do... maybe too much

Same here. I call it emotional dysregulation.

If you don't have any empathy, you're not boderline at all - you're full-on psychopath.