Overview
In its most basic sense, empathy describes the ability to understand how others feel, think, or believe things.
The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (SEP) describes the complexity of defining and measuring the concept:
“…since researchers in different disciplines have focused their investigations on very specific aspects of the broad range of empathy-related phenomena, one should probably not be surprised by a certain amount of conceptual confusion and a multiplicity of definitions associated with the empathy concept in a number of different scientific and non-scientific discourses” 1
The DSM-5-TR defines “Empathy” as a part of the Self when considering stable characteristics of personality functions:
“Empathy: Comprehension and appreciation of others’ experiences and motivations; tolerance of differing perspectives; understanding of the effects of one’s own behavior on others.”
For instance, one of the proposed diagnostic criteria for antisocial personality disorder under Empathy is
“Lack of concern for feelings, needs, or suffering of others; lack of remorse after hurting or mistreating another.”
And for avoidant personality disorder:
Preoccupation with, and sensitivity to, criticism or rejection, associated with distorted inference of others’ perspectives as negative.
Some attempts by researchers to measure empathy include the Multifaceted Empathy Test (MET), Empathy Quotient (EQ), Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI),