Empathy, being a “empath,” has a flexible definition as most terms do in today’s society. Sarah Konrath, author of this article, does make a point, we do have trouble agreeing on what exactly empathy is and I think that has to do with the fact that most things in society are controversial. I think this article ties into what Friedman’s article says on how empathy can be abused; empathy can be seen in a negative light rather than the good associations it is normally tied with. Its true and persuasive in my opinion because empathy being seen as a good thing can cause bad people, manipulators, etc. to use it the wrong way which I brought up in my post on the pro-empathy article. Konrath uses two past presidents, Bush and Clinton, to show how they use contrasting definitions on empathy and I think that is important to highlight in the article because it shows that we really do not have one definition of what it means to be empathetic or what empathy is.

Konrath brings up four different ways empathy is used/shown: emotional contagion, Imaging yourself in others’ shoes, perspective-taking, and empathetic accuracy. When reading what each “category” of empathy means, I find it that I do not fit perfectly in any of them. I read a little on Devin Price’s article, “Is Empathy Overrated” and that is what I am thinking about now even if this is a separate reading. Yes, I call myself an empath, but its not because I think I am this good person, others may say that but personally a “good person” is different for everyone. I call myself an empath because I have a problem where I get so emotional, even distraught when thinking about what others have to deal with, I also have this problem where I feel bad for everyone, even those who may be terrible individuals. I do not necessarily put myself in others’ shoes, but to those who cannot feel any remorse whatsoever, I suggest that they do that. I am a people pleaser, I want everyone to be happy, I do not want anyone to fail and it saddens me to know that everyone has so much going on, all I want to do is help. So when I read these articles, it kinda shows me that when I say empathy is a blessing and a curse, it is accurate.

With this article, I agree that (obviously) we are not always accurate ESPECIALLY when we try to read others’ emotions. I also agree that empathy can cause increased aggression, but only in certain individuals. It’s a lot, depending on how you define and see empathy, but it does not always make you aggressive. I think we can make stupid decisions depending on what we are empathizing with and I agree that questionable decisions can be made. I believe with empathy you need a sense of control.

I think this article, in a way, is telling us that empathy is not perfect. Our emotions can alter how we use empathy and cause damaging results and that is why humans need self-control.

I also do not like the statement at the beginning of the article: “empathy is trending.” I can see how it is true and its sad to see that the word is becoming toxic- if it were not then there would not be these anti-empathy articles.

Just like everything in this world, there are pros and cons with empathy and that is what this article shines light on.