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Your post got me thinking about sympathy and emoathy.

Oxford dictionary says sinpathy is a shared feeling, empathy is understanding without necessarily feeling sympathy.

This article expands the topic for clinical use.

Clinical amplification of sympathy and empathy for medical practice.

"Empathy, sympathy, and compassion also share elements with other forms of pro-social behaviour such as generosity, kindness, and patient-centredness."

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5154411/

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you are spot on.

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I've been doing some reading on the dark tetrad that includes sadism on the list. When you think about it, people who knowingly and repeatedly cross boundaries not just for their own personal gain but get some kind of twisted enjoyment out of watching others struggle as a result of those actions. Having empathy and understanding that hurting others feels bad is what keeps most of society on the right track, sans those who imperiously decide those rules don't apply to them. Bullies have to get some kind of dopamine 'reward' beyond just the gain they are seeking, hence the tetrad. Interesting work. I know it's not considered a disorder by itself because it's a confluence of traits from other known disorders but it should be its own disorder.

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Its sado-masochist

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I agree

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Jul 24
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I know. Its dismal but we must try to be hopeful

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Jul 26
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I like that

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