https://drjudithorloff.com/quizzes/empath-self-assessment-test/
Would like to have a discussion about being an Empath–anyone??
No (not an empath).
Since there seems to be no evidence that mirror neurons actually exist, despite a very exhaustive search, her entire theory starts to fall apart. Of course, since she does not have any actual research or data indicating that there is such a thing as an empath, I would guess that it is something she imagined and then started presenting as a fact, despite the fact that she has absolutely no evidence for her claims.
So, what do you do if you have an idea that sounds great, but does not have any scientific basis? You write a book without any peer review, and sell it to the same people who believe in crystals, “auras”, “psychic healing”, but throw in some hot new terms that have become popular, to satisfy people who realize that these are bunk, but are not familiar with the scientific process.
Another large piece of evidence that an MD is not a research degree, and that many MDs have absolutely no idea how science works.
For the sake of all that’s good and true, that is NOT what the term “energy” actually means!!! How did the woman get an MD without taking any physics courses? I guess that USC in the 1970s was a crappy school if they allowed somebody to get an MD without basic knowledge of physics.
It is pseudoscience, pure and simple.
Her list seems to have a lot in common with the Introvert areas on the Meyers-Briggs graph.
@oregon101, are you also an ISFP, maybe? Or somewhere in the I-section? Kind of an INFJ, here. 
Not a fan of “questionnaires” without even face value.
I have a good friend who is a statistician/research methods consultant at a medical school (she has a PhD in experimental psychology) and she would say this is absolutely true. When she first started her job she was kind of horrified at the lack of knowledge/training MDs who were doing clinical research had on these topics.
Another not-so-good sign about this assessment is how many of the items apply to most people. The idea behind developing valid psychological assessments is curating a list of questions, testing them on a variety of people, and then determining which of those questions effectively discriminate between who does and does not fit a particular label (e.g., people who do or do not have diagnosed depression). When there are items like “Do you overeat to cope with stress?” (who doesn’t??) and “Am I drained by crowds?” that many people would endorse (probably most introverts as someone noted above), you have an assessment that won’t have a lot of power to tell the difference between empaths and non-empaths (to the extent that we argue that the construct is meaningful). If anything this seems like a positively-spun label for people who are very introverted/have sensory integration issues.
Aside from all of the phony baloney research I am an empath. It’s why I cry at commercials and reading books. I absorb the feelings of others. I own a medical business and had to stop being the one going into the hospitals because just walking through er or trauma would be too upsetting to me.
Others may scoff at the notion that it’s not a real thing, but I can tell you exhausting feeling everyone’s emotions.
I hit 12 yes answers but wouldn’t classify myself as an empath. Even though I’m very aware of the emotional state of others and can respond fluently, I’m too good at detaching myself from them to consider myself very empathic.
My D is an empath, no question in our minds. In preschool, from age 3 she’d come home every day and debrief by telling us how each kid in her class felt and why. She is extremely accurate at pegging feelings and undercurrents and always has been.
Thank You eyemamon and HouseChatte. I appreciate your responses.
I simply would like to discuss with those of us who have an interest in her list as a constellation of behaviors/emotions how it manifests in our personal lives.
I would have titled my thread, “what do you think of this author” if I had desired to discuss her credentials.
HouseChatte, consider yourself lucky. eyemamon I think you are related to me and it is exhausting especially when there is no understanding of what is going on and how to manage experiences that you alone are having.
Oregon - do you find yourself hiding from people? Right now my sister is going through a rough time, I have to have her text me to tell me first if she’s crying or not because I can’t always handle that. People call it sensitive or introverted.
Funny thing I do - when watching sports I will feel awful for the losers. I follow college sports, and when a kid does well I always feel so happy for the mom.
How do you deal with the overflow of emotions?
How can you tell if you are an empath or just projecting?
I am definitely an empath, or a sociopath. It varies. Most people would answer “yes” to some of those questions. I especially like this one: “Do I need a long time to recuperate after being with difficult people or energy vampires?”
YES! Those energy vampires just suck the life out of me!
If you do a quick on line search you will discover that this is not something brand new.
Orloff has books on how to manage energy.
I am an introvert who present socially as an extravert. crazy, right?
Many who register a high score are also extremely intuitive and need to understand this.
NJres, isn’t that what being misunderstood makes us feel like? as if we are
so odd when in fact we were born with what is considered a blessing AND a curse.
eyemamon, I worry your sister is very depressed but no harm in asking her some of the empath questions. Now that I have finally have a framework about how I walk in the world I don’t need to hide. I have much better coping skills but I did drop many friends because they caused me distress. Now I know why.
Sadly, Narcissists are drawn to empaths. And yes, NJres, they do. There are a number of books on this and many empaths marry narcs. No, I did not marry a narc but I did marry an atypical.
I got a 12, and I’m the furthest thing in the world from being an empath. Not only do I not feel other people’s feelings, I misread people often. But I am an introvert, and I think many introverts would score high on this questionnaire.
I got a 6 so I have moderate empathic tenedencies.
When I answered the quiz for D, she would score around a 12, I believe. I agree that some of the Qs are not good at separating introverts from empaths. For me, I got 6 yes answers but do not believe I’m an empath.
I think there is definitely a kind of emotional intelligence which includes the ability to read situations, body language, facial expressions, vocal tone, eye contact, etc., that can make some people more intuitive about other peoples’ feelings.
But to assume that one always knows what others are feeling is a little much, imo.
Not everyone eats when they’re under stress. Myself, for example. I generally stop eating if it’s a really huge amount of stress.
I thought the questionnaire was kind of dumb.
I am an introvert and an empath. I have always had “emotional intelligence “ as described above, which can be a blessing and a curse.