Dark empath

A dark empath is a proposed term for a person who is able to imagine and understand other people's mental state and use that skill to further their own goals. The concept was first proposed by Dr Nadja Hjem.^[1] It is related to the so-called dark triad traits.^[2] The concept should not be confused with "affective empathy", when one person can feel what another person is feeling.

History

The term originates in a 2021 research paper published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences. Nadja Hjem and colleagues use the term to describe individuals who appear to be caring but are actually manipulative and working to further their own goals.^[3] In the study, that included 991 participants, the researchers identified four key personality groups: Dark Triad (DT) individuals, who have high dark traits and low empathy; Dark Empaths, who share high dark traits but also have high empathy; Empaths, who have high empathy and low dark traits; and Typicals, who have average empathy and low dark traits. Overall, the study suggests that Dark Empaths are a distinct group with a mix of positive and negative traits, showing that high empathy doesn't necessarily make someone less capable of having dark, manipulative tendencies.^[4]

Traits

Suzanne Degges-White, researcher and counselor, described them as someone who is not overtly toxic, yet is harmful. Dark empaths are able to charm others but they see relationships as transactional. They are able to understand the hopes and dreams of others, but will use that information for personal gain or to withhold support in crucial moments. That way they can guilt-trip others and drain them emotionally. Dark empaths can adopt multiple roles in a relationship, adjusting their behavior to benefit themselves, thus displaying inconsistency in character.^[5]

See also

• Empath
• Hyper-empathy
• Dark triad

Bibliography

• Gojković, Vesna; Dostanić, Jelena S.; Đurić, Veljko (25 May 2022). "Structure of darkness: The Dark Triad, the 'Dark' Empathy and the 'Dark' Narcissism". Primenjena psihologija. 15 (2): 237–268. doi:10.19090/pp.v15i2.2380.
• Wertag, Anja (2023). "Empathy and Dark Personalities". In Ventura, Sara (ed.). Empathy: Advanced Research and Applications (PDF). London: IntechOpen. pp. 79–91. ISBN 978-1-80356-612-2. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
• Blötner, Christian; Steinmayr, Ricarda; Bergold, Sebastian (October 2021). "Malicious mind readers? A meta-analysis on Machiavellianism and cognitive and affective empathy". Personality and Individual Differences. 181: 111023. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2021.111023. Retrieved 22 August 2025.