Schizoid & Empathic?

Hey, do schizoids actually cry over anything? I mean, we're pretty cold aren't we? It could be the reason why some of us aren't very good sympathizers

Convexed wrote:Hey, do schizoids actually cry over anything? I mean, we're pretty cold aren't we? It could be the reason why some of us aren't very good sympathizers

A lot to read you still have, young padawan ...

I can identify with this because I also can display empathy but I'm not sure always about it though...it sometimes does feel false though. I do feel alot of compassion for those who are hurting. This is very hard to explain and even to think about but its like this.

I tend to mirror people. I tend to treat people the way they treat me. I'm not always comfortable with some people because I can't mirror the emotions back...for example the office bully. I cannot mirror this guy BUT when I got angry enough one day I sort of tried to tell him what he was doing was hurtful but it came out like "bitch, don't ######6 do that $#%^". I didn't mean to curse but thats how it came out. I cannot seem to express anger or love without it coming out different than how i thought i would express it. I know its wierd. back to mirroring..if someone is sad, i can mirror that back in an empathic way but deep down i do not feel the sadness of the other i only know what that sadness would feel like to me and i try to recall a time when i felt sad and then sort of connect it to the current situation.
Displaying empathy towards others is a skill...therapists learn to perfect it and so can you.

yoonix wrote:I can identify with this because I also can display empathy but I'm not sure always about it though...it sometimes does feel false though. I do feel alot of compassion for those who are hurting. This is very hard to explain and even to think about but its like this.

I tend to mirror people. I tend to treat people the way they treat me. I'm not always comfortable with some people because I can't mirror the emotions back...for example the office bully. I cannot mirror this guy BUT when I got angry enough one day I sort of tried to tell him what he was doing was hurtful but it came out like "bitch, don't ######6 do that $#%^". I didn't mean to curse but thats how it came out. I cannot seem to express anger or love without it coming out different than how i thought i would express it. I know its wierd. back to mirroring..if someone is sad, i can mirror that back in an empathic way but deep down i do not feel the sadness of the other i only know what that sadness would feel like to me and i try to recall a time when i felt sad and then sort of connect it to the current situation.
Displaying empathy towards others is a skill...therapists learn to perfect it and so can you.

I agree with this guy. I do the same, except I don't get bullied. In the event that someone says something offensive to me or wrongs me in some way, I instantly forgive them in my own head and be the better man, because I know I am resilient. I know that they will either feel guilty right then and there or later down the road. You reap what you sow, if they think they're getting away with something, they will do it again to someone far less forgiving than I.

I've always been polite and kind, yet emotionally detached to new (and all other) people. I am not hesitant to introduce myself, because I know that if I project myself as a person who does not know fear or anger (which is pretty accurate), there is no reason for anyone to prey on or conflict with me. To balance it out, I make sure to contribute nothing substantial and keep conversations brief, always appearing to be relatively busy, as I am a hard worker.

Cirvante wrote:

Convexed wrote:Hey, do schizoids actually cry over anything? I mean, we're pretty cold aren't we? It could be the reason why some of us aren't very good sympathizers

A lot to read you still have, young padawan ...

For starters, "some of us" means basically ALL of us, from my understanding.
And there's an 80% chance that the answer to my question is that we don't truly cry over anything because Schizoids tend to view things rationally, logically, and somewhat emotionally detached.
10% goes to the point that Schizoids simply tend to view certain "tear-jerking" moments in a different light which removes the "sad" portion which most people feel.
The other 10% is a bunch of unproven theories and mixed answers which are rather

I'm rather confident on my first answer, but a second opinion is always nice. Also error-checking my answers are important and invaluable considering I don't naturally get to express my answers to these questions to the average person

I think there is a misconception on this forum that there is an exactitude to being a schizoid. I know I've read somewhere that many wish to feel the subconscious need to belong to something in which we can relate (and that we like to put things in very black and white categories), but a lot of these generalizations are just incorrect or unfounded. While there are trends among all of us, we are all unique people and it is inappropriate to assume that your experiences and reflections will apply to any variable fraction of the populace. I really don't enjoy seeing these percentages thrown around, people telling others what is and what isn't.

I don't believe any of us are qualified to judge more than the vague psychological distinctions of SPD. In the short time I have been on this forum, I have come to the understanding that its intention isn't to split hairs about what is and what isn't SPD, but an open minded discussion about our personal experiences and how we come to grips with our burden, or lack thereof.

I know it's hard to keep it personal, but we speak of third party subjects all the time, don't we? Here is a place where we can speak our own minds.

Feel free to correct me on this matter, I could very well be wrong.

Electric Wizard wrote:I think there is a misconception on this forum that there is an exactitude to being a schizoid. I know I've read somewhere that many wish to feel the subconscious need to belong to something in which we can relate (and that we like to put things in very black and white categories), but a lot of these generalizations are just incorrect or unfounded. While there are trends among all of us, we are all unique people and it is inappropriate to assume that your experiences and reflections will apply to any variable fraction of the populace. I really don't enjoy seeing these percentages thrown around, people telling others what is and what isn't.

I don't believe any of us are qualified to judge more than the vague psychological distinctions of SPD. In the short time I have been on this forum, I have come to the understanding that its intention isn't to split hairs about what is and what isn't SPD, but an open minded discussion about our personal experiences and how we come to grips with our burden, or lack thereof.

I know it's hard to keep it personal, but we speak of third party subjects all the time, don't we? Here is a place where we can speak our own minds.

Feel free to correct me on this matter, I could very well be wrong.

I think i'm being misinterpreted. The percentages are whether or not my answer is correct IMO. They're not absolutes and completely subject to error. This is an educated guess based on experience and limited knowledge

I do not generally feel emotions, and haven't since I was a kid, though I feel as though I act pretty convincing when displaying most emotions to people. If someone is sad, I can very convincingly seem sad for them, but there is no feeling of emotion inside me. However, once in a while (every few years), I seem to have like a few days where I start getting a little emotional about some things (such as loneliness). Then I go back to normal. But it is so rare that it actually helps me realize just how unemotional I really am. So, to answer your question, Schizoids CAN feel emotions, but they do not necessarily have to. I have cried over loneliness before, twice specifically, but it went away pretty quick both times. I think it is a small piece of my subconscience breaking through. It was pretty freaking bizarre, and if that is what it is like to feel strong emotions, then it is overrated anyways. I'll take cold and indifferent any day. But my general attitude is that I spend time with people simply to avoid the role of outcast, because when you are the outcast, you cannot receive much assistance from others should you need it (ex: borrowing money). It also avoids people asking questions like why you don't want to socialize with others, which was a pretty annoying question that I received frequently as a teenager. So basically, I do it as a matter of convenience.

I have zero empathy and find it almost impossible to be truely sympathetic with anyone (I have to fake it or try to act how I think I someone else would respond and it's both awkward and very difficult, the chance to make things worse is always there). However I care about everyone, person or animal, deeply, without feeling the emotion.

I'm not sure where that places me.

I fit the DSM description of a 'schizoid', and I have an unusually high degree of empathy, which I haven't yet seen in anyone else.

I have empathy for all of the victims of the world- all people who are deprived of freedom- especially minors; victims of homework slavery, victims of genital mutilation, victims of police and prison guard aggression, victims of bullies, victims of aggression in general, animals in the factory farms, and animals who suffer horribly in the natural world. I am thus precisely the type of person that the Soviet regime libelled as having 'sluggish schizophrenia', and imprisoned under that false pretense.

I have described the psychological nature of empathy in this post in the Antisocial Personality Disorder subforum:
antisocial-personality/topic111323.html

So-called 'schizoids' are the embodiment of the character trait of objectivity, which is one of the three component traits of empathy, therefore 'schizoids' have a higher potential for empathy than others. Note that I say potential for empathy; that is because empathy requires the two other component character traits as well- humility and conscientiousness.