However, this metaphor is ambiguous concerning whether one imagines actually "being" the other person, with all their beliefs and character traits, or simply being in their situation (such as being the prime minister).
One must be careful not to confuse empathy with either Sympathy, Emotional contagion or Mind reading. Sympathy is the feeling of compassion for another, the wish to see them better or happier, often described as "feeling sorry" for someone. Emotional contagion is when a person (especially a child or a person in a Mob) identifies with strong emotions others are showing and becomes subject to the same emotions themselves. Mind reading is a controversial paranormal phenomenon and differs in that empathy is based (so far as we presently know) not upon the paranormal but upon sophisticated processing of what is seen and heard in the usual way.
More fully developed empathy requires more than simply recognizing another's emotional state. Since emotions are typically directed towards objects or states of affairs (either real or imaginary), the empathiser first requires some idea of what that object might be. Next, the empathiser must determine how the emotional feeling will significantly affect the way in which s/he perceives the object. In other words, the empathizer must determine the aspects of the object upon which to focus. Hence s/he must not only recognize the object toward which the other is directed, but also then recognize the bodily feeling, and then add these components together. The empathiser has to somehow find a way into the loop where perception of the object generates feeling, and feeling affects the perception of the object. This process occurs before taking in account the character of the other person as well as their wider non-psychological context (such as being short or being a lawyer).
In general two methods of empathy are possible: either I simulate the pretend beliefs, desires, character traits and context of the other and see what emotional feelings this leads to. Or I start by simulating the emotional feeling I directly perceive and then look around for a suitable reason for this to fit to. Either way, full empathetic engagement is supposed to help me understand and anticipate the behavior of the other. Additionally, other subtle methods may be available, depending on the purpose of the empathic act.
Empathy is also not the same as emotional contagion, the manner in which one person's emotions are guided by the perceived emotions of others, especially visible within Mob psychology or with children. Emotional contagion is unconscious and automatic and is caused by unconsciously mirroring of another person's emotional behavior which then arouses the same emotion in oneself, though the self-conscious reasons we then ascribe for that emotion may well be different. Empathy in contrast is usually conscious, deliberately performed and retains a sense that the emotion belongs to the other person and not oneself. For this reason, empathically sensing another person's emotion does not usually overtake the empathiser with that emotion. (But see below, )
Empathy is also not the same as Introjection, a term employed by Sigmund Freud that describes the internal process whereby an infant or child symbolically incorporates important people into their life. Additionally, children may incorporate aspects of other people into their behavior (Carson, Butcher, & Mineka, 2000). This concept relates to Object relations theory, and suggests that some expressions of empathy are emotional incorporations of other people that are present.
Finally, empathy is not a paranormal skill. In fiction some people can read minds or feelings, or project their own into others. As far as we presently know, empathy is caused by a sensitive ability to pick up others body language, and sophisticated unconscious processing of that and the context, resulting in "knowing" or having some idea how they feel experientially for oneself. No projection beyond normal body language is needed for this, although some people are more sensitive or better at it, some less so, some cannot separate their own emotions from those they feel in this way and others can.
Some experts (Psychologist, Scientist, psychiatrist) believe that not all humans have an ability to feel empathy or perceive the emotions of others. For instance, Autism and related conditions such as Asperger's syndrome are often (but not always) characterized by a reduced ability to empathize with others.
(Note: A common source of confusion here is that sometimes the problem may be an inability to express empathy to others, rather than difficulty feeling it internally . In this context, a higher level of empathy is sometimes reported by individuals with mild or high functioning Asperger's syndrome, especially to animals example and to other deeply held emotions in people - anecdotally this may more often be so with "high-functioning" individuals, or possibly, the strength of negative empathic feelings with people might itself have been a contributing cause of retreat into Self).
According to one hypothesis, this absence might be related to an absence of Theory of mind (ie, the ability to Model another's world view using either a theory-like analogy between oneself and others, or the ability to simulate pretend mental states and then apply the consequences of these simulations to others)
In contrast, psychopaths are seemingly able to demonstrate the appearance of sensing the emotions of others with such a theory of mind, often demonstrating care and friendship in a convincing manner, and can use this ability to charm or manipulate, but they crucially lack the sympathy or compassion that empathy often leads to. Empathy certainly does not guarantee benevolence. The same ability may underlie schadenfreude (sadism), the malicious enjoyment of another's pain.
Moreover, some research suggests that people are more able and willing to empathize with those most similar to themselves. In particular, empathy increases with similarities in culture and living conditions. We are also more likely to empathize with those we interact more frequently (See Levenson and Reuf 1997 and Hoffman 2000: 62).
Even more, People can empathize with animals. As such, empathy is thought to be a driving psychological force behind the Animal rights movement (an example of sympathy), whether or not using empathy is justified by any real similarity between the emotional experiences of animals and humans.
Functional imaging has recently been employed to investigate the functional anatomy of empathy: Farrow et al (Neuroreport 2001; 12:2433-2438) found that empathic judgments activated left superior frontal gyrus, orbitofrontal gyrus, precuneus, left anterior middle temporal gyrus and inferior frontal gyrus. Components of this circuit may be dysfunctional in psychopathy (Tunstall N, Fahy T and McGuire P in: Guide to Neuroimaging in Psychiatry, Eds. Fu C et al, Martin Dunitz: London 2003). Furthermore, the discovery of mirror neurons in monkeys that fire both when the creature watches another perform an action as well as when they themselves perform it presents a possible neural mechanism for mapping others' feelings onto one's own nervous system.
In Bower (2005) the function of these mirror cells was further investigated. They may be related to awareness of the goal-directedness of actions. These neurons "may be responsible for understanding the intention of action in other people," Kiyoshi Nakahara and Yasushi Miyashita, both of the University of Tokyo School of Medicine said in a note which accompanies the Bower action.
Empathy in this sense is ascribed by such people to various mechanisms. These include simply more sophisticated subconscious processing of sensory cues or stronger emotional Feedback than the norm, (ie the normal human experience but more so), and therefore fit within present models. But some people, perhaps due to synesthesia, believe it instead to be a direct emotional sense or a feel for others' energy.
This aspect of empathy is controversial and not usually clinically recognized, however anecdotally is reported to be not uncommon. Such people often call themselves empaths, although unlike fictional uses of the word, no supernatural meaning is usually implied.
An online community where this type of use of the word is discussed can be found here (intro and FAQ), the actual discussion and community pages can be found here.
A recurrent theme of discussion on such websites relates to the impact upon individuals, and therefore also methods (including mental practices, emotional processes and ritual) which anecdotally can help reduce the intensity of empathic reactions to others' feelings to a more bearable level (informally called 'shielding').
In some works of Science fiction and Fantasy, empathy is understood to be a paranormal or psychic ability to sense the emotions of others, as opposed to Telepathy, which allows one to perceive thoughts as well. A person who has that ability is called an "empath" or "telempath."
Examples of this in Television and motion pictures include the character Deanna Troi from Star Trek: The Next Generation, and the demon Lorne of the American television show Angel. Also, as well as a race of magical creatures on Charmed, main characters Prue (temporarily) and Phoebe Halliwell also become empaths. In Superman, Lex Luthor's younger sister is also an empath. The character of Vincent in Beauty and the Beast is constantly empathically connected with his love, Catherine, and is considered by many fans to have at least a partial empathic sensing of others around him, fading with distance.
In printed fiction, several characters in the book To Ride Pegasus by Anne McCaffrey are telempathic, and are also able to broadcast chosen emotions. The book Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick (on which the film Blade Runner was based) directly explores a number of issues surrounding empathy and the emotions, most notably a test which distinguishes humans from androids based on involuntary empathic reactions; but also a religion based on collective experience and empathy for animals, as well as the 'mood organ' (a device which arouses any chosen emotion).