Some structural considerations in the relationship between M and empathy

After reviewing some of the difficulty around defining empathy, this paper draws attention to three underemphasized structural factors in the empathic tie between self and other. The following distinctions are drawn: (a) empathy vs. fusion with the object: (b) empathy vs. a narcissistic attachment to the object: and (c) empathy vs. an intuitive but fragmented orientation to part-objects. The relationship between Rorschach's M and empathy is reexamined in light of these considerations, and it is concluded that the experience of kinaesthesia on the Rorschach reflects some, but not all, of the components of empathy.