“A dark empath uses the emotions another person exhibits and turns that into manipulation,” says Dr. Hafeez. “The dark empath will guilt trip you into thinking you're at fault for something you're not. They often crave attention but do not gain pleasure from social rewards and desire to have a sense of power.”
The Empath and Shadow Work is the fourth in the series, Empath as Archetype, in which Elaine describes Shadow Work, or the study of discovering those parts of ourselves that are hidden, and how those Shadow parts create unhappy outcomes in our lives.
What is an Empath's Shadow Side? Basically, a shadow side within an Empath is the same as within anyone else: it is the unresolved issues, emotional pain and insecurities, buried deep within, that can affect our behaviour and outlook on life. The side we don't always know how to deal with.
Heyoka empaths are said to be the rarest and most powerful variety, acting as a spiritual mirror to those around them to assist their growth. The Heyoka's unorthodox approach to life makes others question their own preconceived notions of what's right and wrong, real and fantasy.
What is toxic empathy? Toxic empathy is when a person is able to identify with another person's situation, but to such an extreme degree that they prioritize this other person's challenges and begin to neglect their own personal needs.
It's used to describe someone with dark traits similar to a narcissist, which refers to people with a grandiose sense of self who often dismisses others' feelings. The difference, Moore says, is that “dark empaths have the capacity to understand the emotions of others.”
A dark empath can seem agreeable until things don't go their way, Mary Joye, a mental-health counselor and certified Florida Supreme Court family mediator, said. "They can be very charming and put you on a pedestal and then be the very person who will knock that pedestal down," Joye told PsychCentral.
Dark empaths can be loving and give us the relationship goals we've always wanted. Yet, under the surface, their actions are designed to manipulate us — not so that we can have what we've always wanted but so that they can achieve their own ends.
A dark empath is a person who possesses the abilities of an empath and also dark traits. These are cognitive empaths who feel others' emotions as their own but never reach out to help those people. Worse still, they use their empathetic gift to their advantage.
They found four profiles. The two most common profiles were the “typicals” (34.4%;) and the empaths (33.3%). However, dark empaths (those who demonstrated a cluster of dark personality traits combined with elevated levels of empathy) did make up 19.3% of their sample.
The most empathetic member of the group is the alpha
Although generally females in any group tend to offer more empathetic behavior to the members of the group, when it comes to the alpha, they show a level of empathy that is way off the charts compared to the rest.
In analytical psychology, the shadow (also known as ego-dystonic complex, repressed id, shadow aspect, or shadow archetype) is an unconscious aspect of the personality that does not correspond with the ego ideal, leading the ego to resist and project the shadow.
Definition of Empathy®
People with the Strength of Empathy® have the unique ability to feel into the feelings of people around them, not only that, they can sometimes take on those feelings of others.
Narcissists and dark empaths are no strangers to lying and being in control. Their absence of guilt and hunger for power makes them masters of manipulation. When a narcissist and a dark empath meet, they may immediately try to bring each other down through passive-aggressive means.
This low vibration state is what the empath fights against. In their plutonic state, an empath thus becomes a narcissist's narcissist. Mirroring them, the empath becomes devoid of empathy for the narcissist, turning extremely cold and aiming to destroy their fragile egos.
When coming back to the Myers Briggs personality types, those who are ESFP, ISFP, ENFP, INFP, INFJ, and ENFJ show the greatest ability to empathize with others. Some of those personality types are better at showing cognitive empathy and others are better at showing emotional empathy.
She adds that the psychology field is still researching to better understand the difference between the two, but one point of differentiation is that a psychopath can't understand the feelings or thoughts of others, while a dark empath can and uses that information to manipulate others.
Psychopathy is a personality disorder characterized by a lack of empathy and remorse, shallow affect, glibness, manipulation and callousness.
What is the INFP personality type (The Empath)? People with an INFP personality type tend to be reserved, idealistic, and adaptable in their behavior. They are curious people, often lost in thought.
Trauma. Childhood neglect or abuse can affect your sensitivity levels as an adult. A portion of empaths I've treated have experienced early trauma such as emotional or physical abuse, or they were raised by alcoholic, depressed or narcissistic parents.
A psychopath can have a very high form of cognitive empathy, too. In fact, they are very good at reading other people. They seem like they can read minds sometimes. But even though they can understand people's emotions, it doesn't register emotionally with them—they have no emotional empathy.
Myth #1: Empaths do not get angry.
First, the notion that empaths do not get angry is questionable. Empaths are connected to deep and intense emotions, both positive and negative. Although many empaths are typically good-natured and, thus, uncomfortable with their anger, it is an important emotion.