Empathy

I am reading Sociopath World. The author divides the world into three types of people:

empaths, those who feel emotion, also called normal
narcissists, those who trick themselves into thinking they are normal, but aren't really
sociopaths, those who don't feel emotion, and recognize they don't, but mimic emotion

Myself, I would break the "empaths" into two groups: normal people and empaths. Normal people are normal. Empaths have a heightened emotional awareness, able to feel the connections with other people. Empaths are the ones where it's really hard to sneak up on them, the ones who know who is on the other side of the door or phone before actually looking. Empaths can look into a person's heart, and are really good at soothing away the bad emotions, usually by taking them into themselves.

To a sociopath, I doubt they could tell the difference between a true empath and the rest of humanity. But.. well, I think a sociopath is a good partner for an empath. With a normal person, an empath will constantly be inundated with another person's emotions. He or she has to learn to separate his or her own emotions from the outside emotions which want to sway him or her. I remember lying in bed below a fighting couple in the apartment above me and having to separate out their anger and pain so I wouldn't feel anger and pain for no reason. Their fight was done, they were asleep, but their anger and pain were growing inside them and invading me. But with a sociopath, I don't have to feel his emotions, I can just look at them, since they are only on the surface.

Of course, the partner must be a high-functioning sociopath. One whose wants don't conflict with society too much, one who makes the effort to have friends because they want friends, not just to manipulate them. And for an empath, having a sociopathic partner who gives off the false impression of caring by helping people is ideal. Is having a true empath around good for a sociopath? I don't know. I'd like to think so.

I'm sure there are more emotional classes of humans, but I think four covers everything I can think of.