Is it normal to not feel guilt, empathy or other emotions?

I have had this on my mind ever since I was 10, I noticed that I never felt "empathy" like other people did. Whenever someone would start to cry everyone else would become sad. Same thing with people getting hurt. I thought people faked feeling sorry just like me. Its not that I do not have emotions, I feel happiness, it just seems I lack many of the negative emotions. Though I do experience anger even though its just a flash that fades quickly.
Throughout my life I have always been baffled by peoples reactions to me doing things which were explicably prohibited, even though those who didnt allow it would have never noticed it, therefore no harm done. When I asked them why they would just say "because its wrong!"

Is this normal, do you fake feeling sad for your friends for example?

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Comments ( 22 )
  • Pseodonihm

    It sounds to me, and I may be wrong, that what you are experiencing
    is simply cognitive dissociation. You believe you should feel bad about not feeling bad.

    You are obviously intelligent. People with higher intelligence tend to rationalize their moral trespasses. And as you said, morals are subject to the individual. So to you these minor trespasses are not wrong, even though your society tells you it is.

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    • Pseodonihm

      Sorry I meant Cognitive Dissonance. That's what happens if I don't drink my coffee.

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  • 1979guy

    I'm the same way to a point. I really don't have strong feeling about anything. I have a wife and kids. But I really don't give a shit about much. It is hard with my wife she wants me to be a loving caring and that's not me. Don't really have emotions. I feel love for my kids. But I think what I feel numbed compared to most people.

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  • Annie25

    Pure bliss this stage

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  • darausnicht

    I have bipolar disorder and my depressions can be apathetic and cold and my manias can seem like narcissistic PD. Complex PTSD is where my empathy, guilt, shame etc is messed up. I didn't have any of these emotions until I was 24 but it was based on how I was raised.

    I was seriously abused in many ways... one of the ways, from over medicalizing and over diagnosing so I tend to lay off the "narcissist/sociopath" melodrama that floods the internet. Those disorders are a cluster of specific traits that one has to have a number of in a spectrum to be diagnosed with them.

    This could be immaturity. The irony is that US culture itself values and holds narcissistic norms as ideals. The anti-stigma movement is a crock of shit. Some people reacting like you are a maniac is ridiculous. The over-dramatic stigmatizing to scare these people is not helping the cause.

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  • KPHM

    Bless your soul
    I love being like this, people just over react way to much and act illogically, no reason to bother trying to pretend to be a stupid emotional roller coaster like other people!

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  • Xlst

    Hello friend. I am 16 years old right now and I have the exact same issue as you. I was abused as a child and still am being abused by my mother on some occasions. My mother tends to be abusive to me and my 2 sisters. Whenever i see someone get hurt from someone else for no reason I just feel empty/nothing for that person.

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  • justbecause11

    There are any number of things that could cause it. Either you just don't care, you could be on the autistic spectrum, you could be a sociopath or you could just be someone who says, fuck it. Either way, nothing you describe is "normal". If you have the inclination, talk to one of your school counselors. I'm not a joiner, I don't have many friends, and I don't express much emotion. I simply don't like people. I've been through counseling and it was determined that I suffer from chronic depression. Your problem could be similar.

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  • RoseIsabella

    That's much worse than "baffling", to be completely honest people have a right to be enraged when someone is stealing from and physically violent toward them. Somebody does that shit to me, and you can bet your ass I'm calling the police and pressing full charges.

    Yeah, it's completely not normal that you think it's no big deal. I also don't appreciate it when someone says, "it's not hurting anyone", because that's not true, and regardless it's still wrong. There's no excuse for your behavior. I do think it's a good sign that you're actually posting on here, and talking about it.

    I do kinda think you may have some sociopathic tendencies. You might not be as bad off as you think, but I say that only because you've taken the time out to make yourself vulnerable to judgment and ask us about yourself.

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    • Pi_314159

      Why would I be bad off? Im pretty happy, honestly Im happier then most people. Not being affected by family drama and deaths (stuff like that) really takes the weight off your shoulders. I got to an Ivy league university and things are going great.
      Im happy about judgement since most people only see the positive "side of me" I would never express these tendencies around a group of friends.

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  • perdita

    Lots of people who were abused as kids learn without even knowing it to build a wall between their awareness and their feelings. These people often recognize feeling happy or angry and not much else.

    Might this be you?

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    • Pi_314159

      I was abused as a child, yes. Can you elaborate on your point?

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  • Cleverinternetpenguin

    No, not normal possible aspd but I'm the same.

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    • Pi_314159

      What is aspd? Can you tell me about it?

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  • barstool

    I used to doubt the level of empathy I had, so I think that's normal. I felt like I mostly faked it for a long time.
    But if you literally have no idea why those things are wrong - not just that you can justify them, but that you honestly don't understand why people consider them wrong, then maybe there's a problem.
    But I wouldn't really know.

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    • Pi_314159

      I understand why things might be "wrong" I simply dont feel "bad" for doing them. In general though there is really no right and wrong, it is all about perspective.

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  • BlackCatsAreAwesome

    You might be a sociopath.

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    • Pi_314159

      what?

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  • RoseIsabella

    Nope, not normal. What are these things you did that baffled people?

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    • Pi_314159

      Stealing, some physical violence etc..

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  • OKiseeyou

    You, my good sir, have autism

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    • Pi_314159

      I would tend to disagree, i have met children with autism and do not see myself in them. These type of children are often very socially awkward, don't have any friends and something is obviously wrong with them. I have a large circle of friends (even though they are not that close) and a girlfriend. Many people like me, just not those that see me when I act "undesirably"

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