{"id":7084,"date":"2022-08-03T18:01:28","date_gmt":"2022-08-03T18:01:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=7084"},"modified":"2022-08-03T18:01:28","modified_gmt":"2022-08-03T18:01:28","slug":"empath-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/empath-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"Empath \u2013 Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Are you talking with someone that emphasizes your situation? You could call them an 'empath<\/em>.' This post describes the meaning and origin of this expression.<\/p>\n

Meaning<\/h2>\n

The expression 'empath<\/em>' means someone consciously aware of other people's mental and emotional states. The word is similar to the term 'telepath<\/em>.' However, an 'empat<\/em>h' connects to the person's emotional state, not the exact thoughts the person is thinking.<\/strong><\/p>\n

'Empath<\/em>' encompasses the words 'empathy<\/em>' and 'telepath<\/em>,' describing an individual's psychological ability to connect and identify with other people's emotions, attitudes, or thoughts. They are usually emotionally aware people with a talent for empathizing with others.<\/p>\n

If you're an empath, you have a high 'EQ<\/em>,' and you feel like you understand what the other person you're talking to is going through in their life.<\/p>\n

Example Usage<\/h2>\n

\"Susan is a genuine empath. It's like she feels what the other person is going through, and she connects with them on an emotional level. It's an amazing gift.\"<\/p>\n

\"Being an empath is challenging. Sometimes I sit around and find myself getting lost in other people's emotions and lives.\"<\/p>\n

\"I think you're an empath. You have the uncanny ability to cobnut with people on a deep level. It's like you touch their soul.\"<\/p>\n

\"Being an empath must be a terrible burden. You feel emotionally connected to people, and most people are not in a good state of mental health these days.\"<\/p>\n

\"If you think you're an empath, you should feel emotionally connected to people, even if you don't know them well. It's like you've known them your whole life.\"<\/p>\n

\"\" \"\"<\/p>\n

Origin<\/h2>\n

The expression 'empath' originates from science-fiction. The first use of the term appears in 'The Empath,' a story written by Scottish author J.T. McIntosh in 1956. The story centers around paranormally empathetic individuals, known as 'empaths,' which the government uses to exploit workers.<\/p>\n

However, the TV series 'Star Trek' is responsible for popularizing the word. The episode 'The Empath,' released in 1968, follows the story of a woman that can heal people's emotional wounds.<\/p>\n

The story 'Vaster Than Empires & More Slow,' written by Ursula LeGuin in 19721, features an 'empath' as the lead character.<\/p>\n

Marvel Comics introduced a character in 1984, 'Dr. Charles Xavier,' who was supposedly a telepath and empath.<\/p>\n

The term changed its meaning in the 1990s to a highly emotionally sensitive person that channels the ideas and feelings of others.<\/p>\n

Celebrity psychologists would change the term's meaning in the 2000s to describe a person's 'Emotional intelligence (quotient).'<\/p>\n