Empathy

When do we feel empathy, and why? Why are some people or animals more deserving of our empathy than others?

The way we choose the object of our empathy is irrational: surrounding and contributing factors affect how much empathy we feel. People who have themselves faced difficulties and needed help from others often feel more compassion afterwards when others encounter difficulties, and are able to identify with the situation of someone who is suffering. On the other hand, a person who has faced difficulties for a long time may feel frustrated and no longer have the strength or ability to make room for empathy.

Empathy requires strength and sensitivity to understand the state of someone close to us, as well as the ability to identify with them. A psychopath does not feel empathy, but on the other hand the capacity for empathy can also be close to an illness if it dominates one's entire life.