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. Thank you for watching TopThink and
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