This blog post aims to answer the question, “Do you have empathy?” by exploring the concepts of empathy and its various types, empathy quotient (EQ) and the various ways of testing empathy and providing 5 signs to help determine if someone has empathy or not.
Do you have empathy?
You have empathy if you manifest the following 5 signs –
- You’re a giver, and occasionally you give too much.
- You have a strong sense of intuition and absorb others’ emotions.
- You are sought out by people when they need help or someone to listen to them.
- You are easily physically, mentally, and emotionally drained in many social situations.
- You require some alone time, ideally in nature.
These 5 signs of empathy will be discussed in further detail below after taking an in-depth look at empathy and its types.
What is empathy?
Empathy is the ability to emotionally comprehend what other people are going through, to see things through their eyes, and to put oneself in their shoes.
Essentially, it is placing oneself in the shoes of another person and experiencing what they are experiencing. When you witness someone suffering, you may be able to imagine yourself in their shoes and empathise with their situation.
While most people are quite aware of their own sentiments and emotions, getting into another person’s brain can be more challenging. People who are able to empathise may “walk a mile in another’s shoes,” as it were. It enables people to comprehend what others are going through.
For many people, watching another person suffering and reacting with apathy or even hate is unfathomable. However, the fact that some people do respond in this way plainly shows that empathy is not a universal response to others’ pain.
Being sensitive and having empathy are not the same thing. Empathy may be developed in three different ways, each of which can be used alone or in combination to achieve empowering effects.
Types of Empathy.
There are three primary forms of empathy, in general –
Cognitive Empathy.
You can understand people’s sentiments better than most people because you have cognitive empathy. However, while you comprehend their emotions on a logical level, you are emotionally unmoved. This allows you to preserve your clarity while yet relating to others.
Emotional (Affective) Empathy.
Emotional empathy helps you to share your feelings with others on a personal level in addition to comprehending what they are going through. You start absorbing and sharing other people’s emotions.
Compassionate Empathy.
Compassionate empathy is the most intense kind of empathy, bordering on hyper-empathy. Your emotional condition becomes reliant on the well-being of others, and your mood might shift so quickly that the emotions of others can overwhelm you.
What are these 5 signs that indicate that you have empathy?
You’re a giver, and occasionally you give too much.
Empaths must be cautious not to offer more than they can manage. The majority of empathic people believe they can never do enough for the people they care about. Even if they have to contribute more than they can afford, they will.
Judith Orloff, M.D. stated for Psychology Today, “Empaths are big-hearted individuals who strive to soothe the anguish of others: a homeless person holding a cardboard “I’m hungry” sign at a busy junction, a traumatised kid, a disturbed friend.”
“But empaths go further than that. Instead, they take everything on, and before they know it, they’re the ones who are exhausted or unhappy.”
You have a strong sense of intuition and absorb others’ emotions.
Being an empath makes becoming upset easy. You find it difficult to disregard the feelings of others around you. You are bothered by and take on their feelings if a friend or a family member is distressed.
You feel driven to make them better. On the other hand, you feed off of them when you’re among positive feelings and upbeat spirits, and that’s when you grow.
You are sought out by people when they need help or someone to listen to them.
Empaths will discover that their pals are always requesting their assistance. Everyone has always said that you provide “excellent advise,” and you are the designated confidant to your friends and family.
That’s because you have the capacity to understand people’s needs, which may not just apply to close friends but also to strangers. This intrinsic aptitude, nevertheless, may be demanding. because not everyone who asks for aid from you can be carried or have their issues fixed.
Don’t try to take on obligations that are not your own, Amy Schaeffer said in a piece for Inquisitr. “Empaths want to help, but many people are either unable to receive assistance or must choose to take care of themselves first. Set a mental boundary for when and where you’ll stop helping someone, and then abide by it.”
You are easily physically, mentally, and emotionally drained in many social situations.
In crowds, empaths become overwhelmed. You might be too sensitive and have a propensity to over-examine the emotions and body language of others, which can make social events, especially those involving huge groups, taxing for you.
Because there is so much going on, large crowds can be stressful for empaths, according to Brandi Neal’s Bustle article. And it might be hard to distinguish between your energy and that of others.
You require some alone time, ideally in nature.
Spend some time alone. You need time alone since being in some social situations may be stressful for you. Being surrounded by nature on Earth could be beneficial since it gives you time to think and space to be alone.
What is Empathy Quotient (EQ)?
The Empathy Quotient (EQ) is a psychological self-report scale that Simon Baron-Cohen and Sally Wheelwright created at the University of Cambridge’s Autism Research Centre. Empathy is defined by EQ in a way that takes intellect and affect into account.
The ability to experience a suitable feeling in response to another person’s emotion and the capacity to comprehend another person’s emotion are both components of empathy, according to the measure’s creators (this is associated with the theory of mind).
The Questionnaire Measure of Emotional Empathy and the Empathy Scale both feature several components that are unrelated to empathy but are linked to social skills or the capacity to be emotionally aroused in general. EQ was created to close this measurement gap by evaluating empathy entirely.
EQ tests the empathizing-systemizing theory, which was developed to determine clinically the role of lack of empathy in psychopathology and, in particular, to screen for autism spectrum disorder. The theory divides people into different brain-type categories based on their tendencies toward empathy and system creation.
How can you test your empathy?
The brief empathy exam that follows will show some of the instances in which empathy shines. To test your empathy, answer the following questions –
How do you act during a disagreement?
Empathetic people strive to see things from a variety of angles. People who lack empathy are unable to do so, resulting in ineffective and circular disputes.
How effective are you at communicating with others?
People that are empathic are outstanding communicators. They provide compassion and empathy without passing judgement on others’ actions.
What is the quality of your relationships?
Empaths have a proclivity for forming deep bonds with others. Empathizers have a tendency to develop superficial connections.
How do you deal with your feelings?
The majority of empaths are emotionally astute. They are excellent at introspection and have little trouble managing their emotions.
How much of your feelings are truly your own?
This isn’t difficult to grasp. Examine how your mood shifts while you’re talking to others about their problems. Examine your feelings before and after speaking with someone.
To determine your level of empathy, you can also take this empathy quiz.
Conclusion –
This blog post aimed to answer the question, “Do you have an empathy quiz?” and reviewed the concepts of empathy and its various types, empathy quotient (EQ) and the various ways of testing empathy and provided 5 signs to help determine if an individual has empathy or not. Please feel free to reach out to us with any questions or comments you may have.
References –
Empathy Quiz. The Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/quizzes/take_%E2%80%8Bquiz/empathy
Empathy Quiz Results. The Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/quizzes/results/empathy
Am I empathetic? Take our quiz to find out how well you relate to other people. CalmMoment. (2019, April 23). Retrieved from https://www.calmmoment.com/wellbeing/am-i-empathetic-take-our-quiz-to-find-out-how-well-you-relate-to-other-people/
Oakes, K. How Empathic Are You? (2016, May 27). Retrieved from https://www.buzzfeed.com/kellyoakes/whats-your-empathy-score
Empathy Test: Am I an Empath? Psychologia. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://psychologia.co/empathy-test/
Henderson, E. What % Empathetic Are You? (n.d.). Retrieved from https://play.howstuffworks.com/quiz/what–empathetic-are-you
The Empathy Quiz. SurveyMonkey. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/6YTX3TS
The empathy test. GoToQuiz. Retrieved from https://www.gotoquiz.com/the_empathy_test
Empathy Quotient (EQ). Psychology Tools. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://psychology-tools.com/test/empathy-quotient
Empathy. Quizizz. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://quizizz.com/admin/quiz/5cc1a8b94b35f3001d967d7c/empathy
