Empathy is the necessary ingredient for giving and feeling love.
Having compassion and empathy for another means to hear, be with, suffer with, and try to get in the shoes of the other person. When this is done, the other person feels seen, heard, and loved. Sadly, people who are narcissistic, don’t have the capacity for this kind of emotional connection. It can be confusing because they can mimic empathy and seem like they are doing it. When around them long enough it is apparent the empathy display is merely an act. When they are staging empathy and putting on a charming show, it is usually done for a purpose related to them. Feigned empathy can be used to manipulate and get what they want. This can be a shocking revelation. A narcissist may initially act like they dearly love someone, but in reality, they don’t have the capacity to love.
