Empathy - "One size doesn't fit all"

[camgarsky4]

Figured we would start a new thread for this topic.
Below is an article I found via google. It starts to help us understand that empathy is not a 'one size fits all' emotion/psychology. There are dozens more similar articles out there if you want to dive deeper into the topic.

Many of you have read Parallel Lives and know that Lizzie tended to have stronger, longer relationships with hired help (driver, maid, landscapers, etc.) or hired professionals (doctor, nurse, business manager) as compared to a more traditional friend or family relationships. In addition her affection for pets and animals is well established.

How she maintained friendships tells us if she committed these murders or not, but they do help us put her post-August 4th behaviors into context and not over or under value them.

BetterHelp website
People Who Love Animals More Than People: Psychology Of Empathy
By: Amy Gardner Updated December 21, 2020

In this study, the participants were asked to respond to a fake news story about a victim who was assaulted with a baseball bat, leaving him or her unconscious with several broken limbs. While the story was the same, it differed in one crucial detail: the identity of the victim, which was either a one-year-old baby, an adult human, a six-year-old dog, or a puppy.

Respondents showed the same level of empathy for the baby, the puppy, and the adult dog, but significantly less for the adult human. This suggests that our empathy level is unrelated to species. Rather, it has to do with perceived helplessness and vulnerability.

The natural affection we feel for animals can be compared to the affection we feel for our children. We impulsively care for them and desire to help them because they are unable to help themselves easily. Our perception of adult humans is that they can easily speak up for their rights or defend themselves from danger. But that is not true of children and animals, who are completely at the mercy of others for shelter, food, and protection.

[PossumPie]

Thanks Camgarsky4.
In psychology, when we see the triad of fire setting, bed-wetting, and cruelty to animals, this bodes very poorly for the prognosis of the child. Most people indeed feel compassion for "helpless animals" but children who are cruel to them often go own to kill. Jeffry Dahmer admitted to killing animals as a child.