- They jump fast into criticizing others without putting themselves in other people’s shoes.
- They seem to be cold or just out of touch for people that are suffering or are less fortunate.
- They believe 100% in the rightness of their own ideas and/or beliefs, and judge anyone who does not hold their beliefs as wrong, ignorant or stupid.
- They have trouble feeling happy for others.
- They have trouble making or keeping friends.
- They have trouble getting along with family members.
- They feel entitled to receiving favors and use you to serve their needs without showing appreciation. They will even get offended if they don’t get their way.
- In a group setting, they will talk a lot about themselves and their lives without really caring about what other people share.
- They do or say something that hurts a friend or a loved one, and tend to blame his/her actions on them love ru. They truly believe that the fault is in the person receiving the hurt because they reacted poorly, were rude or were oversensitive.
The truth is that without empathy, it is hard to connect with others and create deep emotional connections. This can cause problems in relationships, as people aren’t felt seen or heard.
Why Some People Lack Empathy
Empathy is an innate and learned skill that is shaped by how we are wired when we are born, and our own environment and life experiences. To experience empathy to some extent, it means that we have to get in touch with our emotions.
Many people who lack empathy were raised in families who avoided getting in touch with their feelings and even condemned others for feeling their emotions. People in that environment have learned to shut down their feelings early in their lives to such a degree that they closed off their hearts and struggle to connect to their own feelings. (more…)