Hey everyone, and welcome to TopThink. Today,
we will learn about ten signs of a dark empath, the most dangerous personality type.
Now, let’s begin What does it mean to have empathy for another
person? Empathy allows us to understand the feelings of others. This compelling emotion
drives many of the greatest and kindest we as humans do. It’s the reason we bother to remember
people’s names or donate food to someone in need. Empathy is the reason you cry during sad
movies and also the reason you smile when other people find love or achieve their dreams.
Even though nothing is happening in your life, you can see things from their point of view.
You understand what it’s like to be sad, happy, and everything in between. If you’re a
highly empathetic person, you may experience those strong emotions right alongside them.
In many ways, our social systems depend on our ability to understand and feel empathy for one
another. Without empathy, people become reckless, impulsive, and aggressive. They no longer
act with others in mind and instead abuse the empathy of others for personal gain.
This is commonplace among dark personalities, like narcissists and psychopaths — people
who have deficits in their ability to feel empathy — but recently psychologists identified
a growing number of individuals with a strange combination of traits. Like psychopaths, they have
many dark personality traits. They’re reckless, impulsive, and manipulative, but they also
have a great capacity for cognitive empathy. The key word here is “cognitive” empathy.
This is your ability to understand emotional responses without necessarily
experiencing the same strong feelings. Most people with high levels of cognitive
empathy also develop other kinds of empathy, like somatic or affective empathy, but this unique
personality type does not. In combination with other dark personality traits, an abundance
of cognitive empathy creates a dangerous and perceptive sociopath who can accurately understand
people’s emotions and use them for personal gain. Individuals with this unique combination of traits
are called dark empaths, and they can be very challenging to identify. They look and act like
everyone else, and they respond normally to most situations, yet they take pleasure in subtly
toying with peoples’ feelings, often through bullying, intimidation, and exclusion. If you’re
worried there is a dark empath in your life, pay attention to these ten warning signs.
Otherwise, this dangerous personality type can and will take advantage of you.
1. Extroversion with a Twist Psychopathic personalities tend to be
introverted and self-centered. They don’t typically enjoy social situations unless there’s
an advantage to be gained, but dark empaths approach social situations much differently.
According to a 2017 survey, dark empaths are significantly more likely to be extroverted and
socially acclimated. They typically have big groups of friends, possess good social skills,
and display comfort in various social settings. In other words, they enjoy interacting with people
and blend seamlessly into their surroundings, which makes them all the more dangerous.
2. Narcissistic Grandiosity Do you know someone who thinks a little too highly
of themselves? Self-absorption and grandiosity are common traits among most dark personalities.
However, dark empaths are especially susceptible to distorted visions of themselves.
For instance, a dark empath may dramatize their traumas to pull on the heartstrings of the
people around them. Perhaps they overestimate their charm and charisma or perceive themselves
as more inspiring or attractive than they are. Instead of channeling their narcissism into
acts of violence, dark empaths feed on social hierarchies and self-serving bonds — anything
satisfies their cravings for attention and praise. 3. Paying Your Debts
In some cases, dark empaths can be especially tricky to separate from
normal, empathetic people. Despite their narcissism and manipulative extroversion, dark
empaths pay close attention to the needs and circumstances of other people. In fact, many
dark empaths make surprising sacrifices or thoughtful favors for their friends and partners.
This behavior is very unusual for other dark personalities. A psychopath or narcissist would
never make a sacrifice unless they got something more significant in return. But dark empaths
are interested in a different kind of exchange. While they appear to be kind and considerate
individuals, their sacrifices are designed to gain control over you. For example, a dark
empath may do you a favor, but they’re only doing this favor to create a feeling of debt
and guilt. Dark empaths understand precisely how sacrifices affect peoples’ emotions, so
don’t be fooled by their acts of kindness. 4. The Dark Side of Humor
Humor is a powerful tool used by dark empaths to disguise their manipulative
tactics. They often present as lighthearted, funny, and effortlessly charming people, but
they subtly use humor to attack others and destroy threats in their social sphere.
For example, a dark empath may recognize another strong personality in their friend group.
They may feel envious of the attention this person receives, so they use underhanded jokes to trash
their reputation or damage their self-esteem. They claim they’re just joking, but their malicious
sense of humor is designed to bring people down. 5. Perverse Satisfaction
Do you know someone who enjoys stirring up conflict? Many dark empaths gain
satisfaction by driving others into miserable situations. Let’s say you turn to a dark empath
for advice. They may pretend to support and encourage you, but their advice will drive
you deeper into conflict and frustration. In other words, dark empaths take pleasure
in toying with the emotions of others. They give bad advice, stir up conflict, and play
both sides. They gossip about their friends and subtly intimidate their enemies. Ultimately,
these personalities thrive in highly emotional, conflict-driven situations. They have an uncanny
ability to manipulate the emotions of others, and that makes dark empaths the
most dangerous personality type. 6. A Different Kind of Narcissist
One personality trait that separates dark empaths from traditional narcissists is their
tendency to criticize themselves. Narcissists are poor judges of their strengths and weaknesses.
They consistently overestimate their worth and exaggerate their accomplishments because they
believe they are superior to everyone else. On the other hand, dark empaths present
a confident exterior, but deep down, they are intensely critical of
themselves. Their surface-level grandiosity is consistently undermined
by self-doubt and self-effacing behavior, often to the point of cruelty and abuse.
As a result, their self-esteem may fluctuate wildly between public and private
settings. In social situations, dark empaths exaggerate their personas and
confidently navigate social expectations. However, in private, their confidence
crumbles, and they become cruel and critical. If your friend or partner alternates
between effortless confidence and alarmingly self-criticism, you may be close to someone
with the most dangerous personality type. 7. Cognitive Separation
While dark empaths score higher on measures of empathy, they don’t necessarily
care about other people’s emotions. A true empath identifies how others feel and
sympathizes with their joys and sorrows. A dark empath, on the other hand, keeps their
emotional distance. They act like your best friend and your closest confidante, but a dark empath
doesn’t actually care about you or your feelings. They are emotionally disconnected from everyone
in their lives, often as a form of social strategy and self-defense. The more disconnected this
person feels, the less painful it becomes to manipulate other people’s emotions.
So, don’t be fooled by their kindness and emotional intelligence. It may feel
like this person is on your side, but as soon as they see an opportunity… a dark empath
will put their needs far in front of your own. 8. The Dark Saboteur
When they identify a social advantage, a dark empath goes to great lengths to put
themselves in a comfortable position. This is especially true when you introduce these
toxic people to your friends and family. Let’s say you are dating someone with this
dangerous personality type. You’ve been dating for several months, so you decide
to introduce your partner to your circle of friends. A dark empath will work tirelessly
to gain their trust and blend seamlessly into their lives. They may change their personalities
to earn their approval and learn their secrets. If you have a dark empath in your life, they
may try to infiltrate your social circle and, in some cases… push you out of it. If
a dark empath sees you as a threat, they won’t hesitate to damage your reputation and
sabotage your relationships from the inside out. 9. Casual Deception
Many manipulative tactics revolve around some form of dishonesty. Dark empaths will bend the
truth, twist people’s words, and omit information to influence your emotions and behavior.
Let’s say, for example, that you find someone attractive, but you’re unsure if this person likes
you back. So, you talk to a friend who happens to be a dark empath. You express your feelings
for this person, but your friend has a hidden agenda. They don’t want you to give attention
or affection to anyone else, so they casually slip lies into the conversation. They might
say, “I think they’re already seeing someone,” or “I don’t think they will make you happy.”
A dark empath understands the effect these comments have on your confidence and motivation.
After hearing these things, you may change your mind. You may cling to your friend because
they feel like the only person on your side. 10. Starving for Affection
Dark empaths understand the positive influence of physical and emotional intimacy.
They know how love, praise, and attention affect your self-esteem and confidence, so they flood
their friends and partners with intimacy and positivity. They’re constantly supportive and
affectionate, and they rapidly develop depth and meaning in your relationship. But their
overwhelming affection rarely ever lasts. For several weeks or months, this person
may be glued to your side… until one day they start acting like strangers. Out of
nowhere, they take away all the attention and praise you learned to love. Why? Because
they expect you to come begging for more. It’s a cruel tactic and a malicious means
of expressing love in any friendship or relationship. But it’s one common way
dark empaths create the toxic and lopsided relationships they constantly crave.
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